G. W. A. was born of infidel parents. His birthplace was a village in Kent, where he lived till twelve years of age. All that time he was never sent to a Sunday school, nor taught to say a prayer at his mother's knee, nor to return thanks to God for daily food. In the course of his education G. W. A. was sent to a weekday school, and there he won a Bible for a prize, but as soon as he reached his home it was thrown upon the fire, with the remark that it was an indecent and filthy book, and not fit for anyone to read.
At the age of fifteen G. W. A. was very fond of drink, and so early as seventeen was not infrequently drunk. He then worked in some powder mills, and while in that occupation had three narrow escapes of his life—indeed, on two occasions the mate that was working with him was blown to pieces, whilst he escaped with but slight injuries. The last explosion frightened him very much, and made him think, but he soon got over his fear, and from that time he went from bad to worse.
However, about this period G. W. A.'s mother was attracted to hear a young man preach in a neighboring chapel. This young man was twenty years of age, and had just returned from his college, and was the talk of the town. G. W. A.'s mother went out of mere curiosity, but before she had left the building, her infidelity had vanished—indeed, she had become a new creature in Christ Jesus!
It was soon after this event that G. W. A. left his native place with a travelling theatre. He played nightly on the boards, and became more fond of drink and festive life than ever.
His own words relating to this time are as follows: "In my dislike to religion, I had now begun to try to upset or interfere with every open-air meeting I could. Leaving the theatricals, I joined myself to some niggers, and at the end of two weeks had drunk all my money and pawned my spare clothes, and when in this state walked all the way home.
“Soon after this I became acquainted with a young woman, and we married. As I had made a fresh start, we had a good home, but, alas, in less than three years my house and all my furniture were taken from me, and I got into serious trouble, and had to fly to escape serving a term in prison. My wife never heard from me for four years.
“I ought to have said, that soon after my marriage my mother was taken ill, and just before she died she sent for me to see her. She made us all promise to meet her in heaven, but it was a long time before we would do so, because we did not believe there was such a place. However, my father asked me to promise anything, so that she might die easy.
"I took a false name, and became barman to a publican in Colchester. I returned to Ashford, near my home, and there I drank and fought, and was obliged to leave. Then I went to Margate, and there I met my wife again; but, alas, I soon grew worse, and, I am ashamed to say, my wife had to work and keep us.
“I played for Miss Thorne one season in her theatre. At Margate I was sometimes chairman of an infidel club, and sometimes secretary—at that time we were living in one furnished room.
“From Margate. I went to Hastings, and when there, many times have I stopped open-air preaching. More than once, I cruelly ill-used those who were telling out the glorious gospel of the grace of God— such was my hatred of God and His gospel. Soon after moving to Hastings, I became secretary to an, infidel club there. The late Mr. Bradlaugh came to the public hall on two occasions to lecture on Sunday evenings, and on one occasion I took the chair. All this time we were still living in one furnished room, and I was working for a builder.
"The Salvation Army had come to Hastings, and we raised a Skeleton Army in opposition to them, and, much to our shame, we treated them abominably. Many of their `soldiers' suffered cruelly at our infidel and cowardly hands, for they would not retaliate, so we had it all our own way. On one occasion, while the service on the beach was going on, I dared them to continue, and at last flung one of the women into the sea, and she must have been drowned, but for the prompt assistance of the police. I tried to kill her when they got her out, for she would still go on telling me to come to Jesus. On, on I went to the bad, so that people said I should come to an awful end, but my Father in heaven graciously kept me from death. I had upset so many of the Salvation Army meetings, that they would not allow me inside of their barracks, and hence, many a free fight we had as I tried to get in.
“Getting tired of this, I took to stopping another band of workers, and partly succeeded, and this is how they stopped me. They had a week's special prayer, that God would either save me or remove me. All Christian workers were afraid of me, for I seemed to have the power of the devil in me, and my wife and children dreaded the sight of me.
“It was when these good Christians were praying for me, that I had arranged with a mate to have a jolly Sunday with some bad companions in a boat. However, it turned very wet, and we could not go. I kept in bed all that day, and my mate went to the Salvation Army barracks, and-such is God's marvelous grace-God converted him that afternoon. He was a railway man.
"In the evening he came to me, and told me he was saved. I laughed at him, swore at him, and even hit him, but he kept to it, that God had saved him, and stuck to me, begging me also to go to some place where Christ was preached and get saved too.
"How my mate longed for my soul! We had been boon companions, and now he would not let me go. I swore at him in vain, shoved him out of the house in vain—he would stick to me. ‘George,' said he, in answer to my oaths and blows, 'I want you for Jesus.' After some days I got so wild with him that I vowed I would kill him if he came to me anymore. The tears stood in his eyes. I saw he meant what he said, and that he loved me, vile as I was. There could be no mistake about it, he was not the same man he had been, but a new man—my old mate changed, and actually loving me, and wishing to get me like himself.
“’Well," said I, ‘ if you will promise to come to a lecture with me, I will for once go to a meeting with you.'
“He looked very sad, for the lecture was an infidel one. He didn't say a word for a while. I think he must have been praying. At last he said, ‘Yes, George, I will.'
"A special mission for railway men was going on in the town at the time, and we two went there together. How I praise God for making me keep that promise! I sat the service through, for the first time in my life, without making a disturbance! The preacher took his text out of the book of Daniel, ‘Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.' (Dan. 5:2727TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. (Daniel 5:27).) He went on to speak, as I then thought, to me only. His words reminded me of many things I had done and forgotten. The text fastened hold upon me, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and convicted me of sin. I saw what an awful sinner I was in the sight of God. As I thought of God I trembled worse than if I had the ague.
“Presently the preacher came and spoke to me. He showed me what God said about me in His own Word, and how He was willing to save me there and then. But my mind was too dark to receive the truth. He prayed with me and for me, but I got no light.
"So I went home in a terrible state, in my soul. The next morning I signed the pledge, thinking that would put me right, but that did me no service. I felt worse and more sinful than ever. I wandered from place to place, seeking light, but finding none. At last I got so frightened lest I should drop into hell at any moment, that I would not move anywhere in the dark for fear I might fall. Hell seemed so real to me, and my agony was so great.
"After being in that awful condition for a month, I turned in to a little mission hall, where a woman was speaking. I had no Bible, for I was afraid to get one, lest it should make me feel worse. I cannot tell what her text was, nor what she said—I only know she gave out an invitation for any that were anxious to be saved to go into another little room, and, when there, she told us neither she nor her friends could save us, but the Lord Jesus only could do that great work, for He alone is the Savior.
"That night, just as the clock was striking nine, now nine years ago, on the l0th March, my burden rolled away. I was born again. Jesus saved me, and I could say, with all my heart—
"'Happy day! happy day!
Jesus washed my sins away.'
"The next night I went to another hall—the one where they had had the week's prayer for me! How the people eyed me! They expected every minute that I was going to play them some trick. It was a testimony meeting, and God gave me courage to stand up and tell them all I was saved. Oh! the joy there was in the hall that night!
“On the following Sunday I stood in the open air with them, and told the people that God had saved me through His Son Jesus Christ, by faith in His precious blood. I could say my sins, which were many, were all forgiven, and from that day to this our blessed Lord has given me strength to tell out boldly what great things He had done for me.
"Three weeks after this, one of my mates, who was working with me on a large building, fell off the scaffold, and fell about forty feet, breaking his back in his fall. The poor man had just been swearing at me for saying I was saved. I stayed with him till he died, and what a scene that was! I never wish to witness such another. He told me he was lost, and I fancy I hear his shrieks now. He begged me to go to the infidel club, and tell them how poor Jack had died, and tell them, too, that he knew that there was a heaven and a hell, and that he was doomed for eternity. As he was passing away his last words were, ' I am lost; I am damned.'
“Oh, how I thanked God for all His past mercies to me, in sparing my life, guilty as I was, and, above all, in saving my soul from an eternal death.
“I went to the club on the Sunday night, as I had promised my dying mate. The men cheered me, and sang He is, a jolly good fellow,' as they saw me come back to the club; they offered me a drink, and told me they knew that they should soon have me back again.
“Then God, in His goodness, gave me strength, and I gave them poor Jack's dying message, and told them how God in His great mercy had saved me, and I knew there was something worth having. I told them salvation was for all, and that Christ was able and willing to save them.
"Praise God, two left the club that night, and mine with me to the mission. They are now converted, and preaching the gospel of Jesus to a perishing world. The club is entirely broken up, and seventeen out of their number are Salvation Army officers! The landlord of the house was turned out through annoying the Wesleyan body, but he, too, is saved, and is now singing the songs of the redeemed ones of glory.
“I am thankful that God has blessed my testimony to many souls. I can only say, to God be all the glory. I cannot boast of anything of my own self; it is ' by the grace of God, I am what I am.'
“I am now a colporteur, and have been so for over six years, and God has been pleased to bless my labors since my conversion. My wife, too, is saved, and my daughter also, and she is married to another colporteur.
“I am not living any longer in one little furnished room; no, I have four rooms nicely furnished with my own property. I owed twenty pounds when God saved me; today I owe not a penny.
"Truly the Lord's ways are wondrous and past finding out. I feel I cannot praise God enough for all His mercies to me and mine. I can only say it is all of His goodness that I am thus at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in my right mind, saved with an eternal salvation, hoping to meet my dear mother in heaven, and, above all, Him who suffered for my sins in His own body on the tree—Jesus, my beloved Savior. Truly I am a brand plucked from the burning." G. W. A., A CONVERTED INFIDEL.