IN January of last year a young baker, named Emile K —, was under treatment in hospital at a small town in the Palatinate.
Raised up after a short illness, he was on the point of being discharged, and resuming his employment. He was all the more pleased, as he was near the end of his apprenticeship, and then, as he thought, he would be able to see something of the world. Poor Emile he was, according to the Scriptural expression, “dead in trespasses and sins.”
Brought up in the darkness of Roman Catholicism, he had hitherto walked according to the course of this world, and thought of nothing but of pursuing his path of estrangement from God. But God, who was watching over him in mercy, was about to magnify the power of His grace towards this poor lost sinner.
While Emile was thus impatiently awaiting the moment of his discharge from the hospital, a young lad of some fifteen or sixteen years, with a blood-stained hand, one day entered the ward where Emile was. This was Alfred O —, a saddler’s apprentice; he had just given himself a rather severe cut, and had been sent by his master to the hospital for treatment.
Alfred, whose parents lived at some distance, was privileged in having a Christian mother, whose instructions and pious example, through the grace of God, had early influenced his heart.
Converted in his thirteenth year, he delighted to attend with her the gospel services in the neighborhood, and to listen to the precious Word of God. He also much enjoyed the society of some earnest young Christians, who loved him and interested themselves about him.
But then when he came to B —, to fulfill his apprenticeship, his new-born faith was put to a severe test. He there found himself isolated, in a circle unacquainted with the Gospel and hostile to the truth, deprived of meetings and of all Christian intercourse. This was very hard for him. “Take courage, dear Alfred,” wrote his pious mother, “the Lord is near you, and you have His precious Word; only be faithful, and, young and weak though you are, do not fear to confess the Lord, and to speak of Him as you have opportunity to those around you. He can make use even of the little ones.”
These encouraging words strengthened the faith of our young friend, and moreover the Lord was preparing a great solace for him. The wise and powerful hand of God, who directs all things, and makes them all unite in the accomplishment of His designs of grace, made use of the accident of the saddler’s young apprentice to bring him in contact with Emile for the salvation of the latter. The two young people soon became acquainted, but their relations at the hospital were of short duration, the baker being discharged soon afterward. There had been time enough, however, for him to shamefully deceive his young companion. Using artifice and falsehood, he had known how to move to pity the sensitive and generous heart of Alfred, and had extorted money from him.
Alfred in his turn had gone back to his master’s house. One Sunday afternoon, according to his custom, he went alone, armed with his New Testament, to the neighboring forest, when, meeting Emile, he invited and persuaded him to take this walk with him. As they went along their conversation very soon took a serious turn. The young baker had just given full swing to his infidel thoughts. Then Alfred, seizing the opportunity that God had given him of speaking to the conscience of his companion, said to him: “Undoubtedly when one is dead, one is dead indeed, but that is not the end. The Word of God says that it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment. Now think, Emile, what a terrible thing it would be to die, and then to appear before God to be judged and thrown into the eternal torments of hell One cannot escape from God, do you see? — nothing escapes Him. The Word of God says further, that there is no creature hidden from Him, and that all things are naked and opened to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Thus, you see, God knows all your life; He knows everything that you have done; He has seen it all. How then will you stand before Him? What is to become of you? If you die as you are, in your sins, you are lost forever. Oh, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!”
Thus spake Alfred alone with his companion in the silence of the forest.
Emile was overwhelmed. The Word of God, “quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,” had pierced him through. It ploughed up his conscience, which was brought into the light of the presence of God through the power of the divine Word. He began to melt into tears.
“Oh, Alfred,” he cried, “what a sinner I am! I am lost! My sins are too great to admit of grace and pardon for me; I have committed too many! I am lost!”
“You must confess them to God,” said Alfred. “If you have stolen, if you have lied, whatever sins weigh on your conscience — all your sins, confess them to Him; He is ready to pardon and to show you grace. His Word says, that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; for Jesus died on the cross to expiate them, and His blood cleanseth from all sin.”
The young baker, taking from his pocket what remained of the money he had extorted, and handing it to his friend, said to him: “Look here, Alfred, this is your money! I have deceived you, and told you lies! Oh! can you forgive me? can God forgive me? No, no! He cannot pardon a sinner like me! I am lost!” and he continued weeping.
Alfred, himself deeply moved, urged his friend to look at Jesus dying on the cross for the greatest of sinners, and to believe in His love; then, opening his New Testament, he read him a number of passages which he thought were fitted to convince him of the love of the Saviour, and to bring peace to his anguished soul. But all seemed in vain. Emile could not believe it. So deep was the sense of his sins and of his unworthiness, that to speak to him of grace and of pardon appeared to him at this moment like derision. His conscience was divinely convinced, but his heart still remained incredulous of that divine love which super abounds where sin has abounded. But God was carrying on the work of His grace.
The two friends on their return had each reentered their dwellings. Alfred felt himself constrained to bring the case of his young companion before the Lord in prayer. As for the latter, under the powerful action of the Spirit of God, his agonized heart opened by degrees to the comforting words of the Gospel which he had heard, and, after long wrestling, he found peace that same night by faith in Jesus. Marvelous grace of God! The Good Shepherd had found His lost sheep; and in the arms of love, feeling the heart of the Father beating upon his own heart as a child, overflowing with joy and praise, happy Emile tasted the reality of the blessedness experienced by the Psalmist, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Psa. 32:1-71<<A Psalm of David, Maschil.>> Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 3When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. 5I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. 7Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Psalm 32:1‑7)).
The next morning his first impulse was to make known to his master and his working companions the great things that God had done for him. This was enough to rouse their enmity against him. They loaded him with ridicule, especially his master, who abused, threatened, and knocked him about, and then sent to the neighboring village to inform his parents. The mother, hastening to her son, was violent in her behavior to him. But in the midst of the storm let loose upon His young witness, the Lord was near and strengthened him, so that nothing could shake his faith.
Great was the joy of the young saddler when Emile came to announce to him the happy news of his deliverance. What blessed days they would now spend together! Indeed, every evening after work, their happiness was to meet in the office of the saddlery, or in Alfred’s room, to encourage and strengthen each other in the Lord; they delighted to sing His praises tether. Emile soon learned several hymns; he himself could now, through mercy, sing with a glad heart these words―
“On Thee, Lord, rests my soul.”
These days of joy and sweet communion were soon to come to an end, alas! in a very affecting way.
Dear Emile always found the same hostility around him, especially from his master, whose animosity towards him showed itself on every occasion. This man worked a mill adjoining the bakery. Now one night, before beginning work, he sent Emile to fetch a sack of flour, refusing to give him a light, which was, however, indispensable. Emile went without a murmur, and mounted, groping his way to the place indicated. Loading his shoulders with the sack, and trying to find his way in the dark, he put his foot beyond the floor, and fell with his burden a distance of some yards. The master hastened thither with his men, and all saw, with consternation, poor Emile stretched unconscious on the ground.
They took him to the hospital, where the doctor, discovering a double fracture of the spine, announced that it would very soon, be all over with him.
The sufferer, having regained consciousness, asked that his friend might be sent for. The young saddler arrived, but what was his grief to see his friend stretched upon a bed of suffering, and in a hopeless state. He broke out into sobs.
“Do not weep for me, Alfred,” cried Emile, “I am happy to die; I know that I am going to the Lord. What joy!”
Then, resuming a little afterward, “How much better it will be for me!” he added, “for if I recovered I might again get away from the Lord.”
A moment afterward a priest, who had been summoned, entered the room, and approached the bedside of the sufferer with the intention of “administering the rites of the Church.” The latter, making a sign in the negative, said to him, “I have already confessed, and I have received everything.”
“What priest has been here?” asked the visitor.
“Oh! a greater than you, Monsieur l’Abbe. The Lord Jesus Christ has been with me; I have confessed to Him, and He has forgiven me all,” replied Emile.
The priest withdrew in anger.
Seeing that our friend had refused the priest, the nurse in charge then sent for the Lutheran pastor, who also made no delay in coming “to administer the sacrament” to the happy dying one.
“Oh! it is useless,” said the latter, “I have already confessed. Jesus has died for me. He has cleansed me. Oh! the blood, the precious blood of Jesus, is of much more value than all the sacraments.”
The pastor did not insist. “You are suffering very much,” he said.
“Yes,” replied Emile; “but what are my sufferings compared with those that my Saviour underwent for me!”
Emile was “inexpressibly happy.” But it was a great sorrow to Alfred when the hour came for him to return to the workshop, and to leave the bedside of his friend. He was not permitted to see him again. The next day Emile was received peacefully into the bosom of Jesus.
All that Alfred could learn of what passed after their parting was this testimony from the nurse: “Full of joy, he was always singing.”
(From the French.)