BY THE LATE DR WOLSTON.
MANY years ago I was driving many miles across country with some friends in the South of Scotland to attend a meeting of Christians, when a gentleman at my side said, “Do you see that house in the distance? The occupant, Mrs. M—, died very recently.”
The name was familiar to me, and on inquiry I soon ascertained that the deceased lady was one whom I had met once only in my life. “Was she a believer in the Lord? Did she live and die a Christian?” I inquired.
“Oh yes,” was the reply, “there is no doubt of that point. She had been a decided Christian for many years.”
“And do you know how she was converted?”
“No. I should like to know,” was my friend’s answer.
“Well, if you like I will tell you. It is fully more than twenty years since I met her; and it was under these circumstances. I was speaking on the Lord’s second coming in a large town many miles from here. The Christians with whom I was spending the night were relatives of Mrs. M—. A matter of business had brought her from this district to her relatives’ town; and knowing that I was to have a meeting, and not being sure as to her being a decided Christian, they had urged her to spend the night at their house, and accompany them to my meeting. She was a professing Christian, observant of all religious duties, kind to the poor, and exemplary in all her ways; but had never really confessed Christ as her own Saviour, nor given evidence of divine life in her soul. Hence her friends’ anxiety concerning her.
“A larger gathering assembled to hear the Word of the Lord; and God’s Spirit was manifestly at work, as the reason and object of Christ’s first coming to earth, and the certainty of His second coming, were unfolded. Man’s necessity as a sinner, the fact that he was utterly lost, was, demonstrated by the fact that God had ‘sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world.’ And He Himself, when here, had affirmed that ‘the Son of man was come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ But if He were to save man, He must Himself take up the question of man’s sin, assume man’s responsibilities, meet the claims of God on man, and die in the room and stead of the sinner.
“The Scripture particularly pressed was this, ‘Now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 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. 9:26-2826For 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 9:26‑28)). The perfection of Christ’s work was sought to be unfolded. The solemn question of sin in its fullest aspect had been settled to God’s entire satisfaction, propitiation and atonement having been effected. This, the wider aspect of the cross, was fully dwelt on. Then came the ‘as’ and the ‘so’ of the passage, which bring the application of the gospel to the individual in connection with the precious truth of substitution.
“The ‘as’ and the ‘so’ brought light to many a heart that evening. As death and judgment were the lot of man, being the fruit and consequence of sin, it was abundantly plain that, when dying in grace on the cross, to effect atonement, ‘so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.’ He there took the two penal consequences of sin, namely, death and judgment, and thereby delivers from these two awful penalties every soul that believes in Him. As a result, the statement, ‘Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation,’ was seen to be the natural sequence of the truth of the gospel.
“We plainly saw that when He came the first time, He took our sins away; and when He comes the next time, He will take us away. The question of death and judgment have been definitely settled already. The return of the Lord as the immediate hope of the Christian was presented and pressed; and scores of gladdened hearts afterwards sang—
“I’m waiting for Thee, Lord,
Thy beauty to see, Lord,
I’m waiting for Thee,
For Thy coming again.”
“The meeting broke up; and on our way to the house of our Christian friends, Mrs. M— and I met. She broke the ice by saying, ‘You have had a most solemn and impressive meeting, Dr Wolston.’
“‘Yes;’ I said, ‘and a very blessed one for Christians. Is it not blessed to be waiting for the return of the Lord?’
“‘If only one were sure that one was ready,’ she replied.
“‘And cannot you say that you are ready, madam?’ I rejoined. ‘You know that you are saved, do not you?’
“‘I never felt that I could say that. Oh! no. Of course I have thought of these things, but I could never take on me to say that I am saved.’
“‘Will you allow me to ask you another question?’ I rejoined. ‘Have you ever got into God’s presence and honestly owned that you were lost?’
“‘Lost,’ she exclaimed. ‘No, I never thought I was lost.’
“‘Therein lies the solution of the difficulty of your never having been able to know you were saved. No one gets saved till they know they are lost.’
“‘But I never thought I was lost. Of course I know I have not been what I ought to be, and I have failed in my effort to be what I desire to be, but I never thought I was a lost sinner.’
“‘Well, my dear lady, if you will take the simple advice of a stranger whom you never met before, and may very likely never meet again, but who, nevertheless, has a deep interest in your soul, you will not lay your head on your pillow tonight till, in the presence of God, you have owned that you are a lost sinner needing salvation. Then I believe you will get on to right ground before God, and He will give you to know what it is to be saved, and to rejoice in view of the Lord’s coming again.’
“By this time the telltale tear of deep emotion was running down her cheek; and feeling I had said enough, I held my peace and left her to walk alone. We soon reached her relatives’ house. The supper bell rang, and a large party gathered at the supper table. Mrs. M—’s chair was vacant. After waiting a few minutes our hostess said, ‘I will go and see what has detained her,’ and shortly returned, saying, ‘She will not be down tonight, and begs to be excused.’
“After the family had dispersed, and my host and his wife were left alone with me, she said, A most extraordinary thing has happened in Mrs. M—’s case. I knocked at her door, and getting no answer, I went in, and found her kneeling at a chair, with an open Bible on it, and in floods of tears. She was in too deep emotion to say anything, save that she would not come down tonight.
“From that night dates the hour when she really turned to God, and found Christ. I never saw her again after the next morning, when she confessed she had received blessing overnight; she had owned she was lost, and then learned that she was saved by simple faith in Jesus, Some time later I heard that the effect of God’s Word on her had been abiding; and now I am truly thankful to hear that she has gone home to be with Jesus. It is cheering after more than twenty years to learn of the safe homegoing of one converted through the ministry of God’s Word.”
Reader, how is it with your soul? Have you learned yet that you are lost, and got into God’s presence and owned it? If not, I would urge you to lose no time in acknowledging the truth as to your state, and turn to the Lord Jesus as a living Saviour. Remember, the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. “He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Thrice over, in the last chapter of Scripture, does the Lord Jesus say, “I come quickly.” Blessed indeed are they who are ready for His coming, and know it surely. I am one of that happy company. Why should not you be one also? Decide for Christ now.
W. T. P. W.