AS I was quickly passing along one Lord's day evening to the place where God's glad tidings concerning His Son were about to be announced, I was led to shorten the distance (as I wanted to be there in good time), by going through a narrow passage, at the end of which I met a venerable old man, whose words form the heading of this paper. I marked his coming, and when he drew near, asked him to accept a little book, which he kindly did, as if he appreciated it.
I then said, “It is sweet to know Jesus—I have found the Lord, and He is everything to me.”
The old man calmly relied, “And so He is to me." I could not stay, that was enough; but went on my way rejoicing in this sweet simple testimony to the Person of Christ. Those few words filled my heart to overflowing, so that when I got to the hall I just asked for a pencil, and noted down the short but precious statement, that through the boundless mercy of God it might reach your heart, beloved one, and that so the dear old man's testimony to the worth of Christ, might not fall to the ground; but that gathered up for your sake, eternal blessing to your precious soul might be found after many days, to the glory of God.
Be it so.
What an answer that was, it rings in my heart now: "And so He is to me." My mouth might well be filled with laughter, and my tongue with singing. It was so fresh, so different from the usual answer one so often gets;
“I go to church," or "chapel;" “I like Mr. So-and-so;" "I read my Bible;" "I like little books, and have a heap of them at home; I always read whatever is given me; " or something equally poor and wretched; seeing it does but touch the outside of the matter, and leaves the heart untouched., unreached, dead. It is but a garb of hypocrisy, covering a heart which God declares is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jer. 17:99The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9).) Only God ("I the Lord search the heart"), who tells thee this in His own Word, that thou mayest be /undeceived, unmasked, and learn thyself to be "guilty before God.”
There is a threefold action of the Spirit of God as regards the world. He is here to “convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." “Of sin," saith the Lord, "because they believe not on me.”
Dear soul, let me stop here to ask one question; Dost thou believe on the Son of God If you cannot say "Yes" to that question, may the Holy Spirit now convince you of sin, and may the knowledge of what you really are lead you to come to Jesus, and make known to Him the worst; telling Him the whole truth about yourself. But let me bring this comfort to you, He knows more than ever you can know of the depth of your ruin, for He has fathomed it; He knows fully how far you are from God, because He has been the measure of it Himself, when He hung upon the cross as the sinner's substitute; and cried in the anguish of His holy soul, when the waves and billows of God's poured out wrath against sin, rolled over Him there " My God, my God, why host thou forsaken me." Oh, sinner! Why?
Oh! tell me, Why was Jesus there?
Why stooped He down our sins to bear?
God's love provided such a Lamb
To the for ruined, guilty, man;
'Twas love in Jesus' heart that burned,
Which took the wages we had earned;
And paid the mighty debt we owed,
Thus lifting from our souls the load;
Which, if not taken off, must be
The source of endless misery.
'Twas love that made the Shepherd go
Down to Calvary's depth of woe;
'Twas love that drank the cup of wrath,
'Twas love that saved the sheep He bought
'Tis love that comes and speaks to you,
In still small voice—" Come! sinner, do,
To Jesus Now—for He can hear
Your coming feet to Him draw near:
And He will make you whit?, and clean,
His blood, it cleanses from ALL sin.”
Yes, Jesus died: that you might share
His home above—that home, how fair!
Where He is gone to wait until
There are enough that home to fill.
“Yet there is room"—yes, room for thee,
Oh, come to Jesus while you may.
Did He ever, when below,
Tell a sinner back to go?
No, oh, never! Jesus said,
“Ask of Me, I freely give.
I am the door, oh! enter in
I came to put away your sin;
God's justice is well satisfied,
You cannot, will not, be denied)
If in my Name, you come alone,
YOURSELF a lost one fully own;
Then plead my dying in your stead,
Who now am risen, as I said.”
“It is finished “Jesus cried,
He was dead, is now alive
(Yea, more than that, He's glorified).
For God raised Him up to show,
All was paid which we did owe;
Now He's on His glorious throne.
Ever pleading for His own;
Who by faith in Him do tread,
The desert by His Spirit led;
Waiting till He come again,
When they'll rise with Him to reign.
Surely these simple words declare Christ is everything. Yes, dear soul, He is everything to God, and can you now take up the old man's sweet words, and say from your heart "And so He is to me." What living testimony. What joy to His heart to hear a soul down here say that of Him up there “And so He is to me." Yes, He is; the living Christ in glory, the victorious One, who has trampled every foe beneath His feet; taken the sting from death, and spoiled the grave.
He is enthroned in highest majesty at God's right hand; as the apostle Peter said to the Jews, “Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God path made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Have you bowed to Rim as Lord, owning His claims upon you? Has your heart been attracted to His person, beholding His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, furl of grace and truth. Has your ear bowed down to listen to His words? or are you a mere professor, having a name to live, and are dead? Religious it may be, but Christless.
Oh! wake up, the time is short; fling away your garment of unreality, and come to Christ on the spot, just as you are, and He will receive, and welcome, and forgive, and save you forever.
But perhaps you say, “Oh, I make no profession at all; I am just what I am." Shall I tell you from God's word what that is, “Without Christ ... having no hope, and without God in the world." Soul, you will make your bed in hell just as easily with a profession as without it. Do you say, “I make a profession, I am all right.” The devil whispers," Make a profession it's all right." Do you say, on the other hand, “I make no profession, I'm not a hypocrite." The devil says "Make no profession, it's all hypocrisy." And he laughs at your folly as you dream on the brink of destruction, and think you are your own master, doing just what you please; when all the while the cords of hell are bound around you, and unfelt, unseen, secretly but surely drawing you into the lake of fire.
Just as the vortex engulfs the ship; so Satan by various and subtle means is trying to engulf your precious soul. May your eyes, now be opened to see the danger which threatens you, that the arch foe may lose his prey, and you be brought back to God in Christ. Nothing less than this will satisfy the heart of God about you. Listen! “But now in Christ Jesus ye, who once were far off, are made NIGH by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:1313But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)). He came into this world sent from God, to “seek and to save that which was lost." How wonderful is His love; the sinner-seeking Saviour.
That word from His own lips, "Come to seek "—how it speaks to the heart; it says," He wants you, lost one.”
I cannot tell why He wanted me so; why “He loved me, and gave Himself for me." I cannot tell why, I say, and the more through grace I know of my own vileness, the more I see what I am, the less I can understand it.
There was nothing in me to attract Him, but He does love me, and I know He died for me on the cross; and gave Himself to God for me, the sinner; and I know He lives, and because He lives, I live also; for I am united to Him.
It must have been my deep need that called forth His compassion, and led Him in the riches of God's grace to meet it all.
Do you feel your present need of Him? then come and venture your all on Christ. Come, prove my Saviour's love. Do you believe He wants you? Suppose a messenger came from one who had a special love for you; saying, “So-and-so wants you." What would you do? "Get up immediately," you say, “and go to such an one." Sinner, burdened with guilt, pressed down with sorrow: Jesus WANTS you now. Will you go to Him? As I was walking once, I saw a piece of paper lying in the street, covered with dust; a man came by, and he stooped down to pick it up, and put it into the breast pocket of his coat. Ah! thought I, he wants it; others might say it was of no value; he says, " It's just the thing that's suited to me; carry it home." You are like that, only black all over, inside and out, in God's holy sight (you know you could not bear to meet God just as you are at this moment); but, because you are this, God gave His Son, His only Son, to die for you, that He might have you back into His own presence and home above. It is sweet to know Jesus—I have found the Lord, and He is everything to me. Can you reply? "And so He is to me.”
R. B.