RATHER more than a hundred Years ago, a boy was born named John. Like many another boy born to accomplish great things, there was nothing to show that this child was to grow up an honored servant of the Lord, and in His service to be greatly used in blessing to others.
He could boast of neither rank nor fame in any of his known ancestors, and as a boy at school, much like other boys, more noted in the play-ground in the various games then in vogue, than in the class-room where lessons were being taught. So much so that his mother one day remarked to a neighbor,
“My son John is my chief trouble.”
What distressed her most was that when John left school at the age of thirteen he had shown no signs of early piety, for which she longed and prayer.
When schooldays were over young John was sent to learn a trade. John took to the business and put all his heart into it, as he had done into his play, but the post was not altogether a desirable one for the boy, for the master was not at all kind to those he employed.
One day, however, an event happened which had a great effect upon John’s future life. A new apprentice came to the business, and the first night be knelt in prayer by the side of his bed before turning in. The other boys looked on in silence, and John was reminded that all the time he had been there, he had neglected to pray as he had been taught when young.
He became uneasy, and before long was found kneeling at his own bedside, and from that time never gave up the practice. Thus we see how that the new apprentice was like a messenger from God to him. and in speaking of the incident in after life he said,
“I shall ever have cause to bless God for this act on the part of Charlie, the new boy.”
But he was a great help to him in more ways than one, for young John noticed that all his actions were in keeping with what he had done on the first night. He noticed, for instance, that when business was over for the day, Charlie generally went out by himself for an hour.
After a time John found out where he went and how the time was occupied. He visited a shoemaker who lived in a humble cottage, so he asked if he might go with him, and one evening the two boys were seen to enter the humble abode.
It appears that the shoemaker and his wife were two earnest Christians, and loved to speak of heavenly things, and the boys were drawn into conversation with them. Before leaving, they all kneeled down and the shoemaker prayed. Later on he asked the young boys to take part also, and so it came about that the voice of John was first heard in prayer in this shoemaker’s shop, who in after years was destined to thrill the hearts of hundreds of listeners before whom he preached and prayed.
Thus John found the way of life for himself, and the next thing was, he had a great desire to be the means of showing it to others. He began to teach in the Sunday-school and found great pleasure in the work. Then from step to step he gradually became a noted preacher. Birmingham was where most of his years were spent, and when the first building in which he preached became too small for the numbers that flocked to hear him, a larger One was erected, which could accommodate no less than eighteen hundred people, and even then was not found to be any too large, and many hundreds were brought to the Lord.
Then at the age of seventy-four this earnest servant of Christ went to his well-earned rest in the presence of the Lord.
ML 11/22/1925