GOD'S ways of reaching the soul are wondrous and manifold; but as it is by His word that it is quickened into life, so also by that same word ever is it that liberty and peace are known. When He begins a work, He always finishes it; though many a year may roll by between the moment when He awakens, and the hour of full deliverance.
I do not mean that this must always necessarily be the case, though, as a fact, it often is so; but it is a sweet thought, that His gracious eye is never for one moment taken off the soul that is the object of His love, and about to be the subject of His saving grace.
As to Moses of old He said, " I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey;" so now, blessed be His name, does He "see," "know," and "hear" all the groans, sorrows, and tears of an awakened, exercised sinner, and, in His own time and way, does He love to "deliver.” Oftentimes the way of His deliverance is very striking, as perhaps my reader knows.
Some years ago I received one evening a letter from a lady, begging me to call next day to see her servant, who, she stated, was very deaf. The next morning I was wending my way to the house, when I met, in the street, a dear Christian man—a greengrocer. We stopped and had a little talk about the Lord, and then he said, “Oh, Doctor, I should so like you to see a young woman I have just parted from. I had gone to her mistress' house with some vegetables, and finding she came from my part of the country, I was led to speak to her about her soul. She is in an awful state of distress, and has been so for over two years. At that time she lived in Berwickshire. God's Spirit was working mightily in her neighborhood, and many were being converted. One night she attended the preaching of one of the Lord's servants you well know—Mr. J. W. S. That evening she was deeply convicted of her sin, and of her lost condition as a sinner before God. Though invited to remain and be spoken with, she left the meeting, and went towards her own house. As she neared it the thought presented itself, that just then was the moment when she might be saved, but that if she missed it she might never be. Acting on this she retraced her steps to the preaching-room, but hung about outside the door, fearing to go in and be spoken to. Eventually she went back to her house, without pardon or peace. No sooner had she reached it, than Satan whispered in her ear, that as she had thus acted, all hope of salvation was, for her, forever gone,—she had missed the day of grace, and the Lord would henceforth have nothing to do with her. This foul lie she believed, and from that moment settled gloom filled her soul, and anguish has been her constant portion, as she regards herself, hopelessly and irretrievably lost.”
Much interested in this sad case, I said, “Where does she live?”
“With Mrs.—, in No. 23 Street.”
“Is she deaf?”
“Yes, very. Why do you ask that?”
“Well," I said," it is very remarkable; she must be the very person I am just going to visit professionally, as I got a note from her mistress last night.”
“The Lord go with you, and give you a word for her anxious troubled heart; " and so saying, my friend passed on his way, and I made for the person in question.
The bodily ailment having received due attention, Jane (for such was her name) was leaving the room to follow my instructions, when I recalled her and said, " You are certainly very deaf, Jane, but I fancy not so deaf but that you can hear the voice of Jesus. Have you heard His voice yet?”
She instantly dropped her head on her bosom, and the sad pained look—which almost all the deaf have—deepened into utter gloom as she remained quite speechless.
“You surely do not mean to say that you have come to this time of life, and that the Lord has never yet spoken to you of His love, or called to you to come to Him?”
“My doom is fixed," was now her sad reply.
“Your doom is fixed! What do you mean by that? Do you mean that your case is too bad for Christ? that He will not save you?”
“I fear so, sir.”
“But why will He not save you? If what you say be true, you are the first sinner I ever met that Jesus would not save. Tell me, did. He never call you to come to Him?”
To these queries Jane gave no answer; so after waiting a little I said, "I expect the truth is just this: in days gone by He did call you, and you were almost converted, but the devil got you to defer your soul's salvation, and as you did this, he has told you since that your day of grace is over, and that Christ would have nothing more to say to such a wretched good-for-nothing sinner. Now is not that your case?”
Quite amazed at this unfolding of her history, she exclaimed, "Yes, that's just it; but how could you know that, sir?”
Without telling her the way in which I had thus got to know her history, I merely said, "The blessed Lord often lets His servants know the state of people's souls, that, through them, He may meet their need! John 2:9 is not recorded without a divine purpose: When the governor of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, he knew not whence it was (but the servants which drew the water knew).' The Lord tells His servants wondrous secrets for His own glory oftentimes.”
Thus saying, I went on:—" How I got to know your state is not the point, Jane, but this—Do you really want to be saved?”
“Indeed I do, sir; I would give everything to be saved, and know it.”
“Well, can you save yourself”
“No.”
“Do you believe that Jesus is able to save you?”
“Yes, I believe He is.”
“But is He willing? that's the question.”
As to this, all was darkness; so, assuring her of His willingness, yea His fervent desire, to save all who come to Him simply, and trust Him only, I at length said, " Now, if He said in His word He would receive and bless you, would you believe Him?”
“If I saw it in His word, I would believe Him,” was her answer.
Looking to the Lord for guidance in His word to help this poor trembling soul, I took out my little pocket Testament and read to her, "( In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.'— (John 7:37-39.) Now Jane, that is plain enough. The only question is, are you really thirsting? Are you really desirous of having Christ as your Saviour and Lord, and of having the thirst of your needy heart met by Him?”
“Indeed, sir, I am thirsting. Oh! if only I could be sure that it meant me.”
“Well, look at it yourself;" and I turned the page round that she might see it. “He says, ' If any man thirst' Who does any man' mean?”
There was a moment's pause, and then faith won the day, as she exclaimed, "It means me!”
From that moment she knew she was saved. The troubled look departed from her face, and instead thereof it was lit up with the joy of God's salvation.
Some years after this I was preaching the gospel in a town in Berwickshire. After the meeting, a young person came and spoke with me, whom at first I did not recognize as my friend Jane. Recalling the foregoing incident, I said playfully, “Well, Jane, is your doom fixed?" “Oh yes, sir, my doom is fixed; ' but fixed with Christ," was her happy answer.
And now, my dear reader, what about your soul? Is your doom fixed? How do you stand in relation to Christ? If you are still a careless unconcerned sinner, what an awful doom is yours! “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God" (Psa. 9:17).
I pray you let not this doom be yours. If the Spirit of God has awakened you to a sense of you): sin, be thankful for it, but do not rest there Salvation is not in anxiety, but in Christ. Let nothing keep you back from Him. You may have Satan laying to your charge every conceivable sin, but this need not keep you from Christ. Recollect He came “to seek, and to save, that which was lost." As such, you may claim Him as your Saviour this very moment.
How sweetly fall His blessed words on the ear of a wearied, miserable, self-condemned sinner,— “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." Thirsty, all you have to do is simply come to Him, trust Him, believe Him, give Him credit for His love, and then drink and live forever. He gives you eternal life; but more, He gives you also the Holy Spirit, to dwell in you, and lead you unto all truth. When you have received from Him what His love supplies, then “rivers of living water" will flow out. Coming to Him and drinking, they flow in, as you believe. Afterward they flow out in testimony and service for Him. How simple, and how sweet!
In John 3:5, the Lord speaks of a man being “born of water, and of the Spirit." That is the new birth, and the water comes down. In John 4:14, He says—" The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." This is worship; the new life, in the power of the Holy Ghost, rising to its source God. The water springs up. Here in John 7. the water flows out in every variety of service to Christ.
Dear reader, Who does "any man" mean?
W. T. P. W.