“ARE yer ga’ing to M―, gentlemen?” enquired an old man whom we had overtaken, as he hobbled along a country road with his stick.
“Yes; and do you wish for a ride? If so, get in.”
And without further ado, the old man gladly availed himself of his opportunity. After being seated a minute, he said he was “bad in rheumatics,” and had just been to a doctor for it, but though he had tried all the remedies he could get, he never felt any benefit, but thought he got rather worse. We remarked, after learning the chronic nature of his complaint, that we very much feared he would get no relief in this life. “Ah,” he said, “I thought yer were ga’ing to say that.”
Hoping that God had directed him to us for good, we asked him, “What comes after death?” “Judgment,” he replied. So we quoted the verse, “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)), adding, “God is righteous as well as merciful, and He cannot judge the sinner and the substitute for the same thing, can He?”
“No,” he said, “He couldn’t, to be just.”
“Then, for the true believer, the judgment is passed. The Lord Jesus Christ bore our sins in His own body on the tree, and God cannot therefore judge us again for the same thing the Lord suffered for us. He cannot exact payment twice.”
“True,” replied the old man, “and if we live near to God, and do the best we can, that’s all God wants.”
This qualification, so common to the heart, completely spoiled what the old man had said before, and thinking we might reach him through his own circumstances, we said. “The best of men are but men at the best,” and then abruptly inquired, “What was it made you ask us for a ride?”
“Because I were tired and lame, and needed one.”
“Well, it is those who are in the soul as you are in the body — those who know they are lost, who want salvation. You did not speak of doing the best you could to pay us for the ride, nor yet to help to get yourself along the road; you simply sat down, and allowed the horse to take you right through. And all you will think of doing when you get out, will be to thank us for the ride. Take your place as a lost and helpless sinner, receive God’s salvation, and thank Him for it.”
“Aye,” he said, “it’s a grand thing is religion and living to God. I’ve been lagging’ nigh hand til’ it for thirty year, but I’m too timorous to say I’se saved; I’se ‘fear’d I might be wrang.”
The poor old man seemed moved, and thanked us heartily.
There are so many like him, that we have penned this story, and earnestly ask you to take your seat as a ruined, hell-deserving sinner in the gospel chariot, and accept the salvation which the Lord Jesus Christ has purchased with His own blood.
G. B.