HOW THE COURAGE AND FAITH OF A BOY WERE REWARDED
ABOUT two hundred years ago a baby boy was born to a rich farmer and his wife, a Mr. and Mrs. Berridge, living in the village of Kingston in Northamptonshire. They called him John, little thinking how well-known and loved that name would one day become.
Mr. Berridge loved his cattle and his sheep and determined that John should follow this calling too. But John loved reading and books, and his father began to have doubts as to his succeeding as a farmer.
From the age of nine to fourteen he lived with an aunt at Nottingham, with whom he was a special favorite. Here he went to school, and one day returning home after lessons, he was asked by a boy who lived near if he would like to come in and hear the Bible read. John consented, but as the boy friend ' was constantly asking him in always with the same intention, he tried to avoid him as often as possible.
In those days, two hundred years ago, Bibles were scarce and expensive, and to possess one was much valued by those who loved God and cared to know about Him.
One day, as John was coming back from a fair, his friend waylaid him. It happened that John had no excuse ready, and to avoid offending him he went into his house again, and listened to the reading of the scripture. This time his friend prayed too.
These readings made a great impression on John, but especially his friend's prayers. He had always thought himself a good sort of boy, and he knew his parents and his schoolmaster thought the same; but he began to find out what a bad boy he must be not to care to hear God's word; for if he were really good he would naturally like good things, such as reading God's word and prayer, and at last he agreed with God's thought about himself and about others, "There is none righteous, no, not one.... There is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Soon after this he left Nottingham and his friend, but he used to say in after years, when he was used of God to the blessing of many, that his first impression of eternal realities dated from these readings in the house of his boy friend; and he used himself to do as his friend had done, and ask one and another of his acquaintances to come in and read the book of life with him.
The name of his boy friend is unknown on earth, but known in heaven, and perhaps one day those of us who will spend eternity with Jesus will recognize him as the boy who brought his friend to the Lord Jesus Christ.
You will remember that Andrew brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus, and Peter in his turn, when he preached at Jerusalem after the descent of the Holy Ghost, was used of God to add three thousand to the company already there who loved Christ.
John Berridge left school at the age of fourteen and went home to his father at Kingston to learn to be a farmer. He was always getting into trouble over his work, being constantly wrong in his estimates when judging the value of the cattle and farm-stock for market. As buying and selling would be the chief business of his life, his father saw it would be useless for him to continue; and one day he said to him in despair, "John, I find you cannot form any idea of the price of cattle, I shall have to send you to college to be a light to the Gentiles.”
So John went, and learned many things which pleased him and delighted his friends; but very little of what would last forever and bring glory to God.
For some years he was of no use to God, and was never blessed to the salvation of men's souls; but at the age of thirty-three he began to live in earnest; and the constant language of his heart was this:
“Lord, if I am right, keep me so; if I am not right, make me so; and lead me to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus.”
God listened to his cry, and one day as he sat musing on a text of scripture, the following words seemed to dart into his mind like a voice from heaven: Cease from thine own works; only believe.
At once he understood. He saw where he had been making a mistake for years in trying to blend the law and the gospel, and to add the righteousness of Christ to his own supposed righteousness. He began to think on the words "faith" and "believe," and found out how frequently they are used in the Bible.
Then for the first time he preached in real power and numbers were brought to God. He preached Jesus Christ and His finished work, and the country people flocked to hear him from all parts and were blessed.
There were very few preachers in England in those days and John Berridge went through the central counties of England, and even into East Anglia, riding and walking miles that men and women and boys and girls might know that God was not against them, but for them, and that His desire was that they might have life, eternal life, life abundantly, through the death of His beloved Son.
His theme was, "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24).) He worked hard for many years, numbers being brought to God through his preaching, and at the age of seventy-seven he passed into the presence of his Lord and Savior.
The epitaph on his grave in Everton churchyard (Bedfordshire) is well worth seeing. If any boys or girls reading this account live near they should go and read it for themselves; it will help them to remember the boy who found out that he had no goodness of his own, and to remind them that John Berridge first learnt of Jesus through a boy friend.
This is the epitaph:
HERE LIE THE REMAINS OF
JOHN BERRIDGE
AN ITINERANT SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST, WHO
LOVED HIS MASTER AND HIS WORK, AND AFTER
RUNNING ON HIS ERRANDS FOR MANY YEARS WAS
CALLED UP TO WAIT ON HIM ABOVE
READER
ART THOU BORN AGAIN?
NO SALVATION WITHOUT A NEW BIRTH
I WAS BORN IN SIN, FEB. 1716
REMAINED IGNORANT OF MY FALLEN STATE TILL
1730
LIVED PROUDLY ON FAITH AND WORKS FOR
SALVATION TILL 1754
FLED TO JESUS ALONE FOR REFUGE, 1756
FELL ASLEEP IN CHRIST, JAN. 22nd, 1793