“KANSAS, U.S.A., 25th October 1906.
“I am ‘far frae ma Name,’ as the Scotchmen in far-off lands often sing, but memory returns again and again to old scenes and associations. Today my memory reverts back to God’s first dealings with me years ago in dear old Scotland; and as you are one of the links in God’s chain of dealing with me, perhaps you will be glad to hear my story.
“I don’t tell my story with a view to publication, but simply to encourage you in your work of spreading the gospel.
“Eleven years ago, come February 1907, I was a young student, studying for a position in the British Civil Service. My father is a devoted man of God, whom God has used to the salvation of many souls. One day when he came home from a preaching tour, he gathered his three eldest boys together. Very affectionately he spoke to us about our need of the Lord Jesus, and urged us to trust in Him. In conclusion he said (speaking to us in turn), ‘R—, tell me where would you go if you died today?’ R—hung his head, and was silent. Then my father addressed my second eldest brother. ‘W—, tell me where would you go if you died today?’ W—also hung his head, and was silent. My father then addressed me, ‘A—, where would you go if you died today?’ I replied, ‘I must confess that if I died today I would be lost in hell.’ Then after my father speaking still further to me, the conversation ended. That was the beginning of my soul-trouble. What I passed through need not be recounted. I sought to be better, and live a Christian life; and the more I tried to do good the worse I saw myself before God. In this manner I was in soul-exercise for about a year. Sometimes I was more exercised than at other times; but there was more or less soul unrest all the time.
“Just after I had begun my studies I was sitting alone, studying for the Civil Service. At the close of the evening I put all my papers aside and began to meditate. I meditated in this manner: What if you should gain the height of your worldly ambition; what if you should be successful in your examinations, and gain the coveted position, and go on gradually rising in position and wealth? What if you should get all you are going in for, and at last die without Christ, and be lost forever in hell? The thought was startling—Shall I be lost in hell? Everything vanished out of my mind, and all that came before me was the solemn fact, If I die without knowing the Lord Jesus as my Saviour I shall be lost in hell. Then there was an inward conflict. I thought, What shall I do now? Shall I just go on as I am, and allow time to efface the deep impressions wrought upon me by God’s Spirit? Or, on the other hand, shall this matter be settled At last, after consideration, I said to myself, This matter must be settled, and settled immediately, for I do not want to be lost in hell forever. Then the next point that came before my mind was, And how can I get saved? At last I had to retire to rest and still unsaved. I did not sleep, however. My brother told me afterward I repeated Revelation 20:11,1411And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (Revelation 20:11)
14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Revelation 20:14).
“Next morning I returned to the question, How can I get saved Oh, it is easy, I thought. All you have to do is just believe. So I repeated John 3:16,16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) John 5:24,24Verily, 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) and other portions I had often heard, and tried to believe; but all in vain—seemingly I could not believe. Then I thought, I’ll consult the library, and see if there are any books that can help me in my difficulty. God guided me to a small green-colored book, ‘The Valley of Blessing, and how you may enter it.’ It was a bound volume of gospel papers, edited by W. T. P. Wolston. My chief difficulty now was, Must I not feel something before I am saved? In ‘The Valley of Blessing’ there was a paper that dealt with the common difficulty—Must I not feel something? The author put the matter thus:
1. It is faith in Christ.
2. The feeling comes after faith.
“That satisfied me. I said, ‘It is faith in Christ first,’ that is what I need: the feeling comes after faith. Then I turned and read John 3:36,36He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36) ‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.’ I read it thus— ‘He (O God, that means me) that believeth’—then I was puzzled. Had I the right kind of faith? Well I just said— “that believeth”―O God, I don’t know what it is to believe, and I don’t know whether I have the right kind of faith, but I believe on Thy Son: He died for me. The tears fell thick and fast, and I read the next clause— ‘hath everlasting life’ I said, ‘I have believed on the Son, therefore I have everlasting life.’ Peace and joy filled my soul.
“That will be nearly eleven years ago. Since then I have left the Civil Service, and left my native land. I am in the States preaching the gospel. God has blessed me in preaching the gospel in this vast land. Today I thought I would write and encourage you by just simply telling how God saved me. It will encourage you to see how God used ‘The Valley of Blessing’ in my case. I know of a case where a young lady in this country, who was attending some meetings I had two years ago in St Clair Co., Missouri, was led to Christ by reading in ‘The Valley of Blessing’ that article by W. E., The Five go together.’
“Trusting God will bless you still further, Yours in the Lord Jesus, A. B. M—.
“P.S.— If this story will be of use, you can make use of it.”
The writer of this letter got the help of which he speaks through vol. 4. of God’s Glad Tidings—the title which the Gospel Messenger then had—issued in 1875 (afterward republished in another form under the title of “The Valley of Blessing”), and now, when more than thirty years have elapsed, the respective writers of the articles “Faith, not Feelings” and “The Five go together” are privileged to hear of their written ministry being blessed by God to the help of immortal souls. To Him be all the praise and glory.
Editors of gospel magazines, go on with your work steadily; and, distributers, cease not to scatter them, for your reward is sure in the end.
Over sixteen years ago I gave some Sunday evening lectures on the Lord’s Second Coming, and issued them in a little volume entitled, “Behold the Bridegroom.” In its preface occur these words, “Delivered as these lectures were, to large and mixed audiences, of believers and unbelievers, the felt and often expressed need of the latter, made the introduction of the simple gospel a necessity as well as a joy to the speaker. These statements and appeals have not been eliminated, for the book may fall into similar hands, and the Lord may be graciously pleased to use the printer’s mark, as He did the living voice, to thereby awaken the careless and bring rest to the troubled. May He do so for His name’s sake.” His gracious answer to that desire is blessedly told forth in the following letter: —
“Wimbledon, 29th September 1898
“Many thanks for the free grant of gospel books you have just sent me; I trust they may be used of the Lord in blessing to many souls.
“I was at S— a few weeks back (a village in Kent), and we put up with a Christian, and he told us that the book ‘Behold the Bridegroom’ by yourself, was used by God for his conversion some years ago. He passed it on to some friends of his, and God again used it to their conversion; and they passed it on to their friends, and it was likewise used of God in that family. I thought you would like to know this.
“Would it be too much to ask God that each of these books may be used at least to the conversion of one soul? “Again thanking you, yours in Christ, “O. D. H—.”
How this volume reached S—I know not, but the sender will have his or her reward in the day of the Lord, while the writer has deep joy in hearing such good tidings. Distributers of the printed ministry may well be encouraged to go on with their blessed service, and if preachers, who do not always immediately see conversions on the spot (which God in His grace does often allow) are in need of encouragement, may they be cheered by the following letters: —
“ARMLEY, 24th September 1898.
“A friend of mine has long had the desire to inform you of a conversion which took place under your ministration, but not being able to, he asked me if I would undertake to let you know.
“About three years ago you were to preach in Leeds. My friend, having read many of your works, had a desire to hear you, and he asked a workmate of his to accompany him, which he did. Now this workmate was not a Christian. His belief was that God would not convert any one until his time had come, whereas he was opposing God’s will concerning him all the time. You preached from the parable of the Ten Virgins, and it went home to his heart. When you announced the last hymn you said that only those who could sing it from the heart were to sing. Now his friend did not sing, because he could not sing from his heart.
“The meeting closed, and when he got outside he said, ‘He has smashed me all to pieces, and I haven’t a prop to stand on.’ Such were his remarks—he was completely broken up. They talked together all the way home (for they had half-an-hour’s walk), and when they were about to part my friend said, ‘Now, G—, what is it to be’ He said, ‘Here’s my hand, and from tonight I’m over the line.’ And, praise God, it was right, and he confessed Christ to others of his workmates.
“ ‘God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform.’
“A fortnight afterward he attended the doctor, as he felt out of sorts, and had done for a fortnight. The doctor told him he had had typhoid fever all the time. A week afterward God called him to be with Him in glory for evermore. He died in the infirmary (I’m not sure whether it was what is called the Leeds Infirmary, or whether it was the Fever Hospital) of typhoid fever, but he died the death of a Christian, happy and praising God.
“Three weeks after conversion the props truly were knocked away, but he was on the Rock, ‘and that Rock was Christ’ (1 Cor. 10:44And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4)). I knew the man referred to well, in fact all three of us worked at the same establishment. My friend told me some time since of the happy death of this brother, but only last week of the above details. — Yours in Christ, G. W—.
“P.S.― I can furnish names if necessary. Would like to read of this in the Gospel Messenger.”
“EDINBURGH, 21St June 1900.
“Excuse me taking the liberty of writing you, but I find it my duty, and also out of the gratefulness of my heart I write to say, and to thank you, that your most striking sermon preached in M― Hall on the evening of 20th June was the means of leading me to conversion. It was the first time I had been in that hall, and by the way it was brought about I’m sure that God just led me in. I should have so much liked to talk to you, but my time was very limited. I left the meeting while a young man was shaking hands at the door. He spoke to me, I did not hear him. He spoke again, and the words were, ‘Have you been brought to Christ?’ I started, I felt like one paralyzed, and could not speak. I would not say I was a child of Christ, and yet I knew I must have been one of the devil’s children. I entered that meeting without ever dreaming of conversion; before I left I was filled with fear and horror. God’s very eyes were on me, and Jesus, with outstretched arms, pleading for me to come, yet I would not. But now, thank God, I went that very night. I went home, went down on my knees, asked God’s forgiveness for my past many sins—like one of the two debtors in Luke 7, mine were the five hundred—and I ask you now, as a friend in Christ, most solemnly to pray for me, that I may lead a good and upright life, as I have pledged myself to Christ, and begun a new life.— I am, yours most gratefully,
“A. M—.”
In closing this paper let me ask you, my dear reader, How stands it with you before God? You may very likely be neither a contributor to, nor a distributer of the Gospel Messenger, but if you hold it in your hands you most certainly have the opportunity of being a reader of it. Shall it bring blessing to you? Have you received the gospel? Are you yet converted? Are you saved? Have you peace with God? Are your sins forgiven? Are you right for eternity? If you cannot answer these queries affirmatively, let me implore you to get right with God at once. His voice you may well hear through the pages of this little periodical. Let the foregoing true narratives of God’s saving grace encourage you to decision for Christ. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Begin this New Year with God; and then spend it in the enjoyment of His love, and the confession of the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.
W. T. P. W.