G. W. was the only son of devoted parents and happy in all with which they had surrounded him. Nothing had been forgotten which could minister to his satisfaction and happiness.
His moral character was blameless, but of what use was that before God when the infallible Word declares that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” (Isa. 64:66But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6)). They cannot save the soul, nor procure a righteousness which can stand before Him.
The heart is a fountain of iniquity, and it is a terrible thing but none the less true, that as a sponge absorbs water, so the heart is open to every kind of wickedness and takes it in. It is a sink of sin, (Matt. 15:1919For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: (Matthew 15:19)), and we cannot be too deeply impressed with this serious and all-important truth.
But, blessed be the name of the Saviour! on the cross He has made propitiation for sins, and all who believe on Him whoever they may be are justified from all things (Rom. 4:55But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:5); Acts 13:3939And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39)). They are righteous before God, saved, and made whiter than snow by the blood of the Lamb, slain, but now alive again for evermore – and this is a truth not less important than the former. For a lost sinner there is a Saviour and perfect salvation.
Having before him the most brilliant prospects, G. W. thought he saw long years of peace and happiness. Not a thought of an approaching end ever entered his mind, young and full of health and strength as he was. Alas! he had altogether left God out of his thoughts in his calculations, and besides had not considered the frailty of life (See James 4:1414Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (James 4:14)). He had not learned that all his bright earthly hopes were like a soap bubble to burst in a moment, then the brightness disappears.
Influenza which has carried off so many victims in every clime, attacked him, spite of his strong constitution, and resisted every treatment. At length his lungs were attacked and consumption made rapid progress. His health destroyed, without hope of recovery, poor G. W. was profoundly unhappy. Poor young man! the past could bring nothing but regret, and as to the future, he had not a ray of hope.
But there was One who loved G., One who sought him with love, and desired to fill his broken heart with divine peace and joy. It was He who came from heaven to earth to be “a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:33He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)).
Seated in a large chair, feeble and discouraged, his face buried in his hands, and groaning sorrowfully he received me with these words:
“O, how tired I am! if I could only rest! but I am unable to do so.”
It was not only rest for his poor body that he needed – he sighed for rest for his soul, for, for the first time in his life G. was profoundly impressed with the fact that he had “sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)). Jesus had thought of such souls when on the cross He said, “It is finished” (John 19:3030When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30)). By His sufferings and death the work of salvation was accomplished for every believer, who then finds in Him eternal life, peace righteousness, and glory, and it is to troubled souls under the burden of their sins, that the Savior addresses these words:
“Are you saved? Have you peace with God?” I asked my young friend.
“No,” he replied, “I am not saved, I am lost?”
I read to him first from the third chapter of Romans, the passages which show man lost, and guilty before God, and powerless to save himself.
“I know,” said he, “that I am a guilty sinner.”
I then repeated from the gospel of John, John 3:14-1614And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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 3:14‑16), and left him for the night. On leaving I asked God that He might deepen the conviction in his soul, and that he might be led to Christ just as he was, with his load of sin, to find in the Saviour’s presence the blood that cleanses from all sin.
God blessed the word, and granted my request.
When I revisited him, I found him calm and collected.
“Are your sins forgiven G.?” I asked.
“Yes,” replied he, without hesitation. “I am saved.”
But your sins, what have you done with them? God says, ‘There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that doeth good, no, not one’” (Rom. 3:10-1210As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Romans 3:10‑12)), and that all have sinned; are you not one of these?”
“Yes,” said he; “but Jesus died for me.”
“What passage in the word of God tells you that?” I asked.
He replied by the precious words which proceeded from the mouth of the Lord Himself:
“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 3:1616For 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)). “I believe,” said he, that “Jesus died for me, and that unworthy as I am, His blood has cleansed me from all sin.”
“Blessed be God! my dear G.” I said, “He who died for you and for me to take away our sins, has been raised up by the power of God and is now seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high: what peace for our souls to know that our Savior is upon the throne of God.”
Faith in the crucified Saviour, raised, and glorified, had banished all fear from G. W. and had filled his heart with that peace which passes knowledge.
Do you believe, dear reader, that Jesus died for you? Are you rejoicing in this peace? G. knew now that the precious blood of Christ had forever blotted out his sins, and had placed him without spot before God. He had by faith accepted the words of the Lord,
“Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Have you done this?
May this simple history encourage you to come like G. W. to the Saviour who loves you and has given Himself for you. There you will find a peace and happiness that the world cannot give. But do not delay, for who can be certain of a single hour of life?