HE was a strong and burly young man, by trade a blacksmith, and apt enough too at his trade. Brought up respectably, to attend a place of worship, and so forth, Jim (for so he was generally named) found his way, despite all such barriers, into the more open wickedness to which man so readily gives way. God has said in His Word, “The heart” (not one person’s more than another’s; He speaks of it as if there were only one) “is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:99The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)); and truly Jim, the black-smith, yielded easily enough to the temptations of Satan, and the deceit of his own heart.
He took to drinking, and became more and more entangled and held captive by this most miserable and degrading habit. His father died, and some relatives too about the same time, and each left him a small sum of money. This was a fresh incentive to persist in the downward course—the broad road—which ends in everlasting destruction; and the money left him, together with the little he had saved of his own earnings, was soon swept into the publican’s till.
How blind and ignorant is man, when left to himself! He will ruin his happiness, and blight his prospects even for the things of this life; while as to the never-ending ages of eternity which lie before him, and which must be spent in the brightness of the presence of God, where there remaineth a rest for His people, or in the dark gloom of everlasting hell, shut out into darkness and gnashing of teeth,—of these tremendous facts he never stays to think!
But God is over all, and His eye was noting Jim the blacksmith, poor drunkard as he was rapidly becoming. After a drinking bout one night he went home, as best he could, and got to bed. The next morning― not yet cut off in his sins! ―he awoke with violent palpitation of the heart, a thing he had never suffered from before. Alarmed, he hurried to the doctor, and there received some medicine, with orders to go home and rest quite quietly.
“That’s good for a blacksmith’s trade,” said Jim to himself; “to have to bide quiet and do no work! No, if I’ve got to die, I may as well be at my work as lying idle on my bed.” So to his work he went.
In his forge, as he strove by hard work to forget his trouble, the Lord God, His Maker, met with him. He saw no vision, heard no thunder peal, but the still small voice of God inquired of him, ― “If you should die―what then?” He toiled on, vainly endeavouring the while to drown the inquiring voice; but in his ear the words kept ringing still, “If you should die—what then?” Weak and ill as he was, he had to leave his work, and take the needed rest and medicine, which in due course had their effect, and he was soon well and strong again. Gladly would he have forgotten that warning voice, and have put it from him with the empty medicine bottle; but vain was the effort. The question was still pressed home upon him, and awakened him to deep and real anxiety and misery about his soul.
For twelve long months he went on thus. Now trying to get away from the question which tormented him, now eagerly desiring to go somewhere, ―to some gospel preaching, to hear how his soul was to be saved, yet ashamed to be seen going.
He could no longer find satisfaction in his drink, but only the more miserable unhappiness when he had given way to its enslaving demands.
Reader, God asks you, What shall it profit, if you gain the whole world, and lose your own Soul? How do you answer? You are no drunkard, you say; not a poor wicked immoral blacksmith. That may be true, perhaps, but if you should die—what then? What of your soul? Will it be well with you, because you are no drunkard? Are your good deeds good enough to enable you to stand before God? “There is none that doeth good, no, not one.... All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:12, 2312They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Romans 3:12)
23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)).
One Lord’s day evening, a friend saw Jim loitering at his door step, and said to him, “Will you came to a gospel meeting tonight? “This was Just what poor Jim was longing yet fearing to do, so he answered briskly enough, “That will I, and gladly; “and away they went together. That night be heard the simple story of the full and glorious salvation which God has provided, free of cost, but has only provided for sinners (1 Tim. 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)). The preacher was a child of God, and preached His truth, and poor Jim was born again that night, ―begotten of God by the “word of truth” (James 1:1818Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18)). He saw what a poor guilty sinner he was in the presence of a holy sin-hating God, and he was enabled, just as he was, to cast himself upon God, as one who deeply needed mercy, and to trust in the blood of Jesus Christ which cleanseth from all sin (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)).
That was seven years ago, and still Jim is rejoicing in the knowledge of forgiven sins, and the possession of eternal life.
Perhaps this story may fall into the hands of some who will say, “He must be a very ignorant and presumptuous man, ―this Jim,―to say he knows his sins are forgiven; and more so, still, to pretend to know that he has eternal life.” Well, let me point you to the Scriptures (do you believe them to be the Word of God?) which wrought such a blessed change in blacksmith Jim, and let me ask you to ponder them, as he did, before God who wrote them by His Spirit. Yes, even as he did, the poor black-
smith, for God has hidden His truth from the wise and prudent, and has revealed it unto babes (Matt. 11:2525At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. (Matthew 11:25)); and, “except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:33And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)).
First, then, as to the knowledge of forgiven sins. Let us look at John’s first epistle; in the second chapter, verse 12, we read, “I write unto you, little children, because your sins ARE forgiven you for his name’s sake.” The term “little children”
(or children) embraces all the Christian converts to whom the Apostle was writing; and did he write to them to teach them how their sins might be forgiven? No; they knew the salvation of God, and he was writing unto them because they were already forgiven, and in order that their joy might be full (ch. 1:4). Compare this blessedly simple statement with Isaiah 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6) and 1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24), and the Lord graciously give you to take Him at His word.
Then, as to the known possession of eternal or everlasting life, we find God speaking very plainly in His Word. Will you turn to John’s Gospel, chapter 3:36? —wondrous blessed testimony “He that believeth on the Son HATH (not “hopes he has,” nor “will have,” but hath) “everlasting life.” Again, chapter 5:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, HATH everlasting life.” Read the rest of this precious verse, and then turn to John 6:4747Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. (John 6:47); and again I say, the Lord give you to take Him at His word. Can you, dare you, doubt the Word of the living God—while you call those who believe it presumptuous? Oh, dear soul! I beseech you, pause for a moment, and think which is really the presumptuous person, ―Jim, who takes God’s Word as it stands and believes it; or you, who seek to introduce conditions for salvation which God has not seen fit to mention, and which He most surely does not demand, and will never recognize? Anyhow, Jim is no drunkard now, but a bright and happy Christian man. He is no longer a slave to his evil passions, a child of wrath, for he knows the truth, and it has set hint free (John 8:3232And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)).
And so I say to you, my reader, you must know Jesus Christ the Lord as your own Saviour, as the One who has died in your place; you must bow to the truth of God, and be freed from sin (Rom. 6:77For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Romans 6:7)) ―before you can know anything of newness of life.
God’s order is, first, Salvation, — life out of death; then, good works. You cannot do good works before you have life; and by nature you are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:11And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (Ephesians 2:1); 2 Cor. 5:1414For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: (2 Corinthians 5:14)). To all who are still unsaved, ―unwashed in the blood of the Lamb (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)), ―I say, if you should die thus, there remains nothing but the lake of fire for you (Rev. 21:88But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)); while the sweet and precious message from God to the poorest, humblest believer in His Son is this, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb. 10:1717And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:17)).
You find in Hebrews 10. the holy Trinity active for our blessing. God wills (vs. 10), Christ works (vs. 10), the Holy Ghost witnesses (vs. 15).