“I MIND the night―I mind the night weel, when I was brought to know Jesus. I can never forget that night; it was then I learned that He washed my sins away when He died for me on the cross, blessed be His name. I mind the nicht. I mind the nicht.”
The old and dying man, whose lips feebly, yet fervently uttered these words, was the occupant of one of seven beds in a ward in the Leith Poorhouse Hospital. A few days previously (November 1907) the chaplain of the hospital had called on me to say that John L—, manifestly getting very near his end, had a great desire to see me, and he had come to ask me to pay the old pauper a visit. The mention of his name, which I had not heard for nearly thirty years, awakened memories of a remarkable work of God’s grace in Leith in 1869, and I promised to see him as soon as I could.
Accompanied by a friend I called and found John asleep in hip bed, and evidently nearing the grave. Aroused from his slumber, at first he did not recognize me, but after speaking a few words memory came to his help, and then he said: “I ken ye; I ken who ye are. Ye are Dr W―; I mind your preaching langsyne. It was then I got the blessing. I mind the night―I mind the night.”
“And what was I preaching on that night, John?”
“Ye were preaching on those words: ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation’ (Heb. 9:27, 2827And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:27‑28)). They were the blessed words that let the light into my poor dark soul, and I saw that Jesus had loved me, and died bearing my sins, and that He had blotted them all out, and that I should never come into judgment, because what was due to me was all paid to Him when He died. Blessed be His name! I mind the nicht—I mind the night.”
“And are you happy now, John?”
“Ay, I am happy the noo. I am no’ for lang doon here; I am going, Doctor. I’ll no’ see ye again doon here, I’m thinking, but I’ll soon see Jesus, my blessed Saviour. Ye ken, I have wandered a bit since that night. Ye see, the wife died, and the house got broken up, and then after a while I came into the Poorhouse. I’ve no’ walked sometimes as I should, as a Christian, but He’ has forgi’en it all, and it is all right noo, and I’ll soon see His face who died for me. But eh, I canna forget that nicht. I mind the nicht―I mind the nicht.”
Dear fellow, his peace, rest, and joy in the Lord were very real, and as we spoke to him about the love of Christ, and his going to be with Christ, his face glowed with joy, while his six fellow-occupants of the ward earnestly listened to the tale of the Lord’s love related in his ear.
“I hae one request to ax ye before ye go, Doctor.” “What is that, John?”
“That yell just come to my grave and say a word about Jesus ower my grave. I would like if you would just help to bury my body, will ye?”
Of course I promised that I would, and about a week after a few of us laid the redeemed remains of the old believer in the common ground of the cemetery, there to await the summons of the Lord on the resurrection morning.
The night to which John referred was one equally stamped on my memory. In the spring of 1869 the Lord laid it very much on my mind to go and preach the gospel in Leith. Securing a hall in a very dirty slum, which was the floored-in gallery of an old kirk, the lower part of it being a vegetable and fruit store, I was the witness of a work of God’s grace, the like of which I have never seen since. I put out a few hand-bills announcing four addresses on the Lord’s Second Coming to be given on Tuesdays and Fridays. On the third night some two hundred people had assembled, and I preached on Hebrews 9:24-28,24For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:24‑28) pressing particularly that as it was appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment, i.e., that death and damnation were the inevitable consequences of sin, so, on the other hand, in blessed love and grace upon the cross, Christ had sacrificed Himself, bearing the sins of many, and as the result, all who believed in Him were delivered from the consequences of their sins, and were happily free to look for His return. Instead of looking for death they were to look for Christ to return, and instead of expecting to go on trial, and be judged for their sins, they were to expect Him who had already borne those sins, and the judgment thereof, and thus eternally delivered all who trust in Him.
The gospel in its fullness was preached, and that night the Holy Spirit was working mightily, and eight souls confessed the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, among whom was John L—, at that time about thirty years of age. This blessed work of God’s Spirit continued for many months; the hall was packed twice weekly, and Sunday evenings found the large Assembly Rooms crammed with eager listeners, anxious inquirers, and happy young converts, whose names and addresses I possessed to the number of more than two hundred.
What interested me then immensely was the discovery that this precious work of saving grace was due really to three old widows. When the work was well established I learned that for more than twelve months these three earnest saints had met daily in one of their houses and pled with God to revive His work in Leith, refresh His people, and convert sinners. The Lord in His grace made choice of me, and unaware how these pleaders had been knocking at heaven’s gate, for the blessing of others, for over a year, I commenced the meetings. These widows lived in a particular district, and were very deeply exercised about the blessing of their immediate neighbors. The street in which they livid contained about forty tenements, and at the close of the mission I discovered that God had, in His blessed saving grace, entered every tenement, most of which contained eight families. In some cases God visited every family in the stair with the blessing of His salvation, and the knowledge of His Son, and in some cases whole families, parents and children, were swept into the kingdom.
Such is grace, and such God’s faithfulness in answer to the prayers of His people. What a rich reward, in the coming day of the Lord, will be the portion of those three dear old widows. The preacher had his joy and share in the work, but depend upon it the credit will mostly go to the old widows.
Some incredulous reader will very likely say, But did these converts turn out genuine? I could not answer for everyone, but it was a great cheer to me after close on forty years to find one of the earliest of those blessed coming to the front, in the person of dear old John.
Again, about two years ago, I was asked to visit, professionally, in Leith, an elderly widow. Having attended to her physical ailment, I was led to speak to her about her soul, when she at once said, “Oh, Doctor, I was converted through your preaching in St Andrew’s Hall, nearly forty years ago. Do you not remember that time?”
At no very distant date, attending another case in the same district, I found a nurse attending a patient who had been converted in Edinburgh, and on inquiry as to the nurse’s state, she said, “I was brought to the Lord when quite a child through some meetings which you held in St Andrew’s Hall in 1869.”
Scores of other instances could I cite of souls having been brought to the Lord then, and who have been witnesses for Christ in various parts of the world ever since.
Now, reader, are you saved? Have you found the Lord yet? If not, just read these pages over again, and pull up at the text that old John remembered so well thirty-eight years after it was used to his conversion. If you will be as simple as he was, you will learn the present grace of God, and another day be able to say like. him, “I mind the night when I was brought to know Jesus.”
W. T. P. W.