THE following interesting details have been sent to the writer, and he now sends them forth as another blessed instance of the marvelous achievements of the grace of God with rebellious man. May it prove not only a comfort to praying parents, but an encouragement to some downcast sinner groaning beneath the crushing burden of unforgiven sin.
William―resided in Australia. He was a member of a God-fearing family, but his own soul was untouched by the story of God’s love to fallen man. He sought the company of young men as godless as himself, and rapidly sank from bad to worse. Many a warning did he get, no doubt, from the lips and pen of his devoted, praying mother, but all, alas to no purpose. He would not listen. He was evidently determined to pursue his own course, and ultimately became another most painful illustration of the truth that “the way of transgressors is hard.” After continuing in this course for some time, he was at last brought to book. He was arrested on the charge of having committed murder! He was taken before the judge and his case heard, but as the evidence was not very clear, and as he insisted on his innocence, he was pronounced “Not guilty.” However, the police were not satisfied with this verdict, and subsequently finding further evidence, he was again arrested and tried for his life. This time he was found “Guilty,” and accordingly sentenced to death, although still stoutly maintaining his innocence.
At this point the accused sent for a Mr. R―, a Christian whom he knew in the place.
Mr. R― wondered why he had been sent for, but went. When he got to the prison cell there sat William looking as “don’t care” as possible. Mr. R― asked him why he had sent for him. “Oh,” he said, “I want you to tell my mother that I am perfectly innocent. I did not do it. I know who did, but still they won’t believe me, so I suppose I must die.”
Then Mr. R― said to him, “But, William, if you are really innocent I don’t like to see you dying for another. I do not know whether you did it or not, but God does; let us pray.”
They got down on their knees, and Mr. R―, with his arm round William, prayed, “O God, if this man is innocent, bring to light the man who is guilty; but if he is guilty make him ‘own up.’” Then he said, “Now you pray.” He waited and waited, but no sound. Then he began to feel him trembling under him. Then, with a sob, the poor fellow cried out, “O GOD, I’M GUILTY I’M GUILTY”
Mr. R― then left him with Psalms 51 and the first verse of the hymn, “Just as I am.”
Neither of them could get any sleep that night, and when Mr. R― went to see William in the morning he found him in an agony of despair.
For two days Mr. R― came and saw him, but he was still in the same wretched state.
The following day when he came in he saw that a change had taken place, his face was so bright and happy-looking. Upon Mr. R― asking, for an explanation of the change, he told him that he had had a dream in the night. He dreamed that he went to the gallows; that there he was hanged, and that he dropped down, down into hell; that when there Satan came to him and said, “Ah, I’ve got you; you are my boy now!” that he then took him round to what seemed like so many different caverns, where he saw some of his old companions. In one he saw them at the card-table, but with such ghastly grins on their faces. In another they were sitting beside tables with tankards before them, but all empty!
He could not stand all this, so threw himself on the ground crying, “Christ, save me” But the ground only threw him up again, and, as it did so, someone said, “Don’t you know there is no rest in hell?”
With this he awoke, and found himself on the ground with the Bible open at Psalms 51. There and then he knelt down and said, “I come, I come,”
“without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me.”
Mr. R― then told him that the first thing to be done was to confess his guilt to the prison officials. This he did. The authorities looked more fully into the case, and out of consideration of three things they decided to change the sentence to imprisonment for life.
The three things were these―
1. That he was not quite nineteen.
2. That it was the new judge’s first case.
3. That it was Jubilee year.
In prison his life was such a witness for Christ, and he was so trusted, that he was allowed to take the medicines to the sick, and gladly, no doubt, did he use this opportunity of speaking to them. He was allowed, too, to visit the condemned cells with his Bible. He was taught two trades―blacksmithing and shoemaking―and ultimately they made him a warder. So pleased, indeed, were they with him that full liberty was at last granted to him. They gave him clothes, money, and a new name, and sent him to another colony to work his way.
Here, my dear reader, is a little reminder of how the grace that met and blessed William―will, if you bow to the sentence of God against your own guilt, meet and bless you.
It is truly a year of jubilee. It is God’s day for proclaiming liberty to the captive, forgiveness for the guilty, salvation for the lost. No matter how much, beyond nineteen your years of hard-hearted rebellion may have stretched, Christ has died for the ungodly, and therefore, through Him, God is righteous in proclaiming to you the forgiveness of sins. Yea, He declares that “by Him all that believe are justified from all things” (see Leviticus 25:9,109Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 10And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. (Leviticus 25:9‑10); Acts 13:38, 3938Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38‑39)).
But deeper blessing still will be yours if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. William―was made a prison warder; you will have the privilege of exercising your newfound liberty in proclaiming pardon and peace and liberty―yea, full liberty―to other of Satan’s prisoners. You can tell them, if they believe the gospel, that new resources will be put into their hand for enjoying their liberty. William received money, the believer receives the Spirit of God. William came forth in new clothes, leaving the prison garments behind. We are privileged to cast off the works of darkness and to put on the Lord Jesus Christ; to be “clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:55Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5)); to be marked and known by that which characterized Him when here below (see Rom. 13:1414But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Romans 13:14)). Indeed, no longer are we to be known by the old name of rebel sinner, but by the new name of a reconciled one.
Repent, therefore, and believe the gospel.