WALKING one day in Whitechapel, she lifted her heart to the God of her fathers, crying to Him for light, and vowing that if she could know from Himself that Jesus was the Son of God she would not fear the wrath of man, but openly confess Him before all. Scarcely had she done so when light and joy broke in upon her soul, and she went on her way praising and blessing God till she reached her home. As soon as she got there she knocked at Mr. V― ‘s door, exclaiming, “I don’t want you to tell me anymore. I know now that Jesus is God.” His reply immediately was, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee” (Matt. 16:17). For some time after this she was at a loss to know how to act towards her Jewish friends, but the news of her conversion soon spread. While sitting one day engaged in comparing the Hebrew of Psalms 2 with the English version, a Hebrew teacher came in, and, on seeing how she was employed, he remarked that it was a bad thing to have a little knowledge. Her reply was that she had knowledge enough to know the truth, and he left her with threats. Persecution soon followed, and she was deprived of her means of livelihood as a lint-maker — a trade carried on principally, if not exclusively, by Jews. But the Lord opened a way for her; and for some time she got a living by washing; yet even here persecution followed. The laundress for whom she worked had many Jewish families among her employers, ad one of them, who was a chief customer, on hearing that she employed L― S―, took away his work. But the laundress remained her friend, and, instead of dismissing her on this account, set Jewish influence at defiance, taught L― S― to become an “ironer,” which was a more lucrative employment than that they thought to deprive her of, and-thus enabled her to get a better living than ever. Thus the Lord proved better to her than all her fears and stronger than her persecutors, and for five years she continued to earn a subsistence in this way. But while thus laboring for the bread that perisheth she did not forget to serve the Lord. Having been baptized by the name of Lydia, “whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things that were spoken of Paul,” she became a tract distributor and a visitor for the Benevolent or Stranger’s Friend Society, seeking in this way to bring other sinners to Christ. After being connected with this society for about three years, she was led to apply to the Bible Mission for a situation, and was appointed as Bible-woman among her own people, her business being to visit amongst them and seek opportunities of speaking to them about their long-rejected Messiah, her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, selling Bibles where she can induce them to buy them, and holding what are called Mothers’ Meetings. The first meeting of this kind that she conducted was opened in Newcastle Street, Whitechapel, in 1860, and from that time she has continued to labor for Him who loved her and gave Himself for her. She loves her own people and desires their salvation; but, as they naturally regard her as an apostate from the faith of her fathers, she has much to contend with; yet her labors have not been in vain in the Lord. He has delivered her in many a peril arising out of the fanatical zeal of the Jews, which is as strong as in the days of Paul, against those of their own people who become believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. They would perhaps listen more willingly to a Gentile, but the Lord is above every difficulty; and she closes her account of His dealings with her by saying, “I bless His holy name, my labors have not been in vain in the Lord; and both Jews and Gentiles have found the name of Jesus very precious to them.”
One cannot read this short narrative of the conversion of one of God’s ancient people without feeling the great responsibility which devolves upon believers, in this and other countries, both as to their walk and testimony. It was evidently the consistent walk of Mr. V― that weighed so much, with L― S —. He owned the Lord in daily walk and conversation, She states that, even when she applied for lodgings in his house, his first answer was that he “must pray about it.” When she went again, his reply to her application was that “it seemed to be the Lord’s will that she should come.” And so it proved. Thus Mr. V — owned the Lord: “If any man serve me, him will my Father honor.” Mr. V― served the Lord Jesus Christ, and His heavenly Father honored him, making him the happy instrument of bringing one of the ancient flock of Israel to the feet of Christ. That she narrowly watched his walk we can well believe: What opportunity would have been given to Satan, how readily unbelief would have found excuse in any inconsistency in Mr. V―! Who shall tell how long she might have been turned aside by a false step on his part, or even by behavior unbecoming a believer, either at home or abroad His very efforts to lead her to Christ would necessarily make her the more watchful of his ways; his open confession of “the Lord” would have made anything unbecoming His holiness the more striking. May the Lord’s people, the saints of God, consider these things Israel is scattered; those over whom the Blessed One wept in days of old are among us on every side. The Lord loves His ancient people; He yearns over them still: for “He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” And He would not have us ignorant that they will be blest in the day that the Deliverer comes to Zion, lest we should be wise in, our own conceits (Rom. 11), “Can a mother, forget her sucking child? Yea, she may forget; yet will I not forget thee,” saith the Lord. Joseph one the throne of Pharaoh did not forget his brethren. When, he saw them, he “could not refrain himself before all them that stood by;” yet his love for them is but a faint shadow and type of the love of the Christ on. His. Father’s throne for His “brethren, His kinsmen according to flesh.” How many believers in. Him forget this How many more are utterly ignorant of it, and apply to themselves the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament which belong to Israel; thus, by their gross misapplication, and ignorance of truth too plain to be misunderstood, to say nothing of their other inconsistencies, confounding the Jew, and driving him to the conclusion that they must be wrong on all other points. “Is Christ the minister of sin?” Does His Spirit teach error? But sin and error surround the Jew in professing Christendom; error too palpable to escape his attention, too gross to be excused, and that even among believers When such portions as Isaiah 60, 61., 62. are applied to the Church, when the truth of Israel’s future restoration to their own land, and Jehovah’s favor is either questioned or openly decried in the face of God’s plain word of prophecy (Isa. 4 ch. 11; Ezek. 36:24-38; ch. 37, &c.), and that by some who call themselves ministers of the New Testament, can we wonder that the Jew is stumbled He knows that these and other Scriptures which teach the same truth are the words of Jehovah; he does not know that the New Testament is so. If, therefore, those who profess to believe and teach the latter flatly contradict the former, his unbelief is justified in his own sight, and he refuses to credit, or even to consider, the truth held by those who teach as to Old Testament truth much that he knows to be false. May the Lord give grace to those who love Him to be more consistent both in their walk and testimony!
“Give ye glory to His name.”