I WAS leaving the Birmingham station for 1 Manchester the other day, when I noticed three soldiers walking on the platform.
I felt an inward conviction that my Master had something for me to say to these men.
Taking my seat in the carriage beside their three knapsacks, I looked up in prayer, that the right man might come and sit next to me.
They took their seats. I remained silent for some time. At last I saw tears begin to roll down the face of the man next to me.
It is often better to pray than talk; one gets to see more of God that way.
After a while I said to him, " When I saw you three walking on the platform, I felt assured that the Lord had a message for one of you; and I asked Him to bring the right man next to me; and now, will you tell me what is giving you so much grief this morning?”
He looked very much surprised, and said, “Oh, sir, it is eighteen years since I ran away from home. My father was a man of prayer. I never saw him again. He has been dead many years now; but I can never forget his prayers for me. I have been abroad most of my time since I enlisted; have never seen my dear mother from that day to this; she does not know whether I am dead or alive; but I am going to-day to see her; I have got her address in Manchester; and this brings to my mind those happy days when my father had a prayer-meeting in our house.”
He also showed me a worn-out letter, written by his sister on his leaving his native shores. No words can tell the value he set upon this tender treasure; he had worn it near, his heart in every part of the world he had seen. He also opened his knapsack, and showed me a well-worn Bible. His two companions also, I found, had each his Bible.
They were, in fact, three praying soldiers. I read their testimonials, and three more nobler upright man I had seldom met.
The thrilling interest of that conversation I shall not easily forget. One point, however, I must name. Though these three soldiers were, like Lydia of old, men of prayer, and I trust the Lord had opened the heart of the one next me, yet they were totally ignorant of God's plan of salvation.
In order to meet this ignorance, I put the following question: “How does a man become a soldier? Does he go to some old rag shop, and buy old cast-off regimentals, and try to imitate the soldier, until he gets to be one?”
“Well, well," said one of them," a pretty soldier that would be, wouldn't he now?”
“But," said I," then tell me, how does a man become a soldier?”
“How, why simply by receiving the shilling, to be sure.”
“Just so," said I," does a sinner become a Christian. It is not by going to some religious rag-shop, and buying the rags of self-righteousness, and trying to imitate the Christian, until he gets to be one. No, it is simply as a lost sinner receiving Christ, as the man receives the shilling. ‘As many as received Him, to them gave He power to be come the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.' "(John 1:1212But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12)).
“What!” said one of the soldiers," do you mean to say, then, that a man ought not to do his duty to God, to read His word, and pray?”
“Oh, yes! the Christian earnestly desires to do all this: but you have to do your duty, you have to keep your regimentals bright, and to obey your orders; but tell me, have you to do your duty to be a soldier, or because (since you received the shilling) you are one? Just so the Christian. He loves to keep his regimentals bright, to walk with garments undefiled, and to obey, as a son delights to obey, the will of his Father. But this is not to get to be a Christian, but because he is one.”
"I never saw it in that light before," said he.
“I know you never did; and after all your sincere desires to live to God, and thus get to be a Christian, when you come to look back at your past life, have you not often done the things you most hate? Don't you often feel you are as far from being what you wish to be as ever, sin has such terrible power? Now, has it not?”
“That's all true, sir. But what is a poor fellow to do? You have no idea, sir, of the temptations of a poor soldier! Why, now, we three, because we are steady men, are sent to be recruiting sergeants. It makes my very heart sick to think of the dens we shall have to go into to get our men.”
“Oh," said I," what a world of sin and wretchedness! and how much there is in every fallen man that answers to the iniquity around! If God had not known it all, and sent His own dear Son to die, the Sacrifice for sin, on the cross, so that salvation might be as free, yet as binding, as the soldier's shilling, who could be saved? Who, with such a fallen nature, in such a world, could imitate the Christian until he got to be one?”
At Crewe two old pensioners got into the same carriage. One of them appeared to have tried hard and long to make himself a Christian. This man, I believe, found blessing to his soul through the conversation. As an old soldier, he remembered well the shilling; and he remembered he had not to buy his regimentals; and he remembered well that he had to do his duty, not to get to be a soldier, but because he was one. But he had never known that it is just the same with every sinner that is brought to God. When a man is enlisted, he is stripped of everything; not a rag is left.
He then stands in royal uniform; but that royal suit is a gift; he has not to pay a penny for it. He only receives it. No matter how dirty his old rags were. Every man in the regiment stands in the same cloth. It will be so with thee, poor lost sinner, no matter how filthy thy life has been: no, if even thou hast been like the thief on the cross, or a very Mary Magdalene. If the Holy Spirit shall open thy heart to receive Christ as thy entire salvation, thy royal clothing shall be the very righteousness of God. Yes, every soldier of Christ wears the same spotless robe. " For He hath made Him sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him "(2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21))." 2CO 5:30 But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 30). 1CO 1:3030But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Corinthians 1:30)
Perhaps one of the dealers in old rags of self-righteousness will say, “Won’t you come to my shop, and try my sacraments and ordinances? I will teach you how to imitate the Christian best, and then you may hope to get to be one. I assure you my shop is the oldest in the line.”
No, thank you; no religious rags for me.
What God says is complete, let not man try to mend. No, no! fellow-soldier of Christ, don't be tempted into the rag-shops of the day; thou hast not to put on old regimentals to get to be a soldier of Christ. Watch and pray, that thou mayest walk worthy of thy royal uniform. As says the word of God, “I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God [those that are saved] might be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:4-84But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. (Titus 3:4‑8)). TIT 3:4-84But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. (Titus 3:4‑8)
It is impossible to describe that poor soldier as he came within sight of Manchester.
I spoke of the return of the prodigal son.
Whatever might be the joy of that poor mother's heart in receiving her long-lost son, still infinitely greater is the joy of God in receiving the long-lost prodigal. Read Luke 15 LUK 15 "YE MAY KNOW.”
WHEN I was preaching some time since, in a watering-place in the West of England, from the words, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life " (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)), JOH 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24) I sought to impress upon my hearers that all who had really heard the life-giving words of the Son of God, and had believed God, who sent His Son to put away our sins by the sacrifice of Himself, were in the present possession of everlasting life; that it was not left to them or to me to say that they had it, for Christ Himself said that; but what they had to do was to believe that they had everlasting life, because Christ said so.
An earnest but questioning person, sitting at the extreme edge of the congregation, said, loud enough to be heard by those sitting alongside, "Yes, Christ did say' hath everlasting life'; but He did not say that we were to know that we had it."
I did not know what thoughts were passing through the minds, or what words were dropping from the lips, of any in my audience, but at the moment the words that I have just given fell from the lips of the one who uttered them, I was led of the Holy Ghost, who was personally present in the meeting, and who knew all that was going on in it, to turn to 1 John 5:1313These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13), where the following strikingly blessed words occur: " These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that YE MAY KNOW that ye have eternal life.”
I was informed by the one who heard the words spoken that the questioner was confounded and silenced by the force and clearness of the word of God.
When I turn to the Scriptures, where the words "known," "knowest," "knoweth,” “knowing," "knowledge," and "known”
occur altogether above one thousand times, as any reader of the Holy Scriptures may see for himself who will take the trouble to look them out as they are given in Cruden's Concordance, I am perfectly amazed at the daring boldness of the man who can write or say that it is impossible for anyone to know he has eternal life or the forgiveness of sins in this world.
What would be the state of society if God, who has instituted and given the relationships of husband and wife, parent and child, had at the same time prevented our knowledge and enjoyment of those relationships? Imagine wives not knowing their own husbands! Husbands not knowing their own wives! Parents not knowing their own children! and children not knowing their own parents! Could you conceive of anything more truly sad and sorrowful, and as far removed as possible from all intelligent enjoyment of the relationships of life, morally and socially? To say nothing of how unworthy such a state of society would be of Him who is the Author of our natural relationships! And where would be the goodness and love of God in forgiving me, saving me, giving me eternal life, making me His child, putting His Holy Spirit in me, making me one with Christ, and fitting me for the glory, and then preventing my having, or not giving me, the knowledge and enjoyment of all these divine and eternal blessings?`
Such teaching is a slur upon a kind, good, and loving God, and is totally opposed to the word of God.
But I will turn to a few scriptures, which are infinitely preferable to all our words and illustrations.
If you heard anyone saying that it was impossible to distinguish colors, you would' be justified in immediately concluding that such a one was color-blind. So when I hear persons saying that nobody can know they are forgiven and saved in this world, I can not avoid coming to the conclusion that such are not forgiven or saved themselves. Some have the hardihood to say that Paul the apostle did not know that he was saved. I find him speaking very differently himself in 2 Tim. 1:1212For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. (2 Timothy 1:12), where he says, “For I KNOW whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have com, mitted unto Him against that day.”
Again, in 2 Cor. 5:11For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1), 2CO 5:11For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1) where he associates, others with himself, he says, " For WE KNOW that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
There is no uncertainty in these scriptures, where we have heard Paul saying by the Holy Ghost what was true of himself, and equally true of all saved persons. And remember, the Scriptures cannot be broken, and cannot contradict themselves.
And again, in 3:2: " Beloved, NOW are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but WE KNOW that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." " And YE KNOW that He was manifested to take away our sins "(v. 5). "WE KNOW that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren..."(v. 14). “And we have KNOWN and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him "(4: 13, 16)." These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that YE MAY KNOW that ye have eternal life." “And WE KNOW that we are of God.... And WE KNOW that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that WE MAY KNOW Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life" (v. 13, 19, 20).
What can we say, in the face of such an overwhelming and unanswerable body of Scripture proof as to the doctrine of assurance, but what the blessed Lord Himself says in John 7:1717If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. (John 7:17): JOH 7:1717If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. (John 7:17) "If any man will do His will, HE SHALL KNOW of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself "?
And yet once again Christ says, speaking prophetically of the days in which we are living, "At that day" (the day of the Holy Ghost being given, which was ten days after Christ's ascension) " YE SHALL KNOW that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you " (John 14:2020At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)). JOH 14:2020At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)
I ask in all solemnity, “Whom am I to believe? Christ, who says that the characteristic of Christianity is, that "ye shall know,” or those who teach it is impossible to know, and presumption to say that we do know?
Poor, anxious, troubled soul, drop all your reasonings and questionings. Flee from the dreary regions of frames, fears, feelings, and experiences which you are now putting in the place of simple faith. Cease from those who teach you cannot know that you are saved, and take God at His word, for He says, " YE MAY KNOW.”
H. M. H.