" Flowers may be beautiful although not odorous, but a flower that is beautiful and sweet is doubly lovely."—Mantegazza.
THE Gospel has in all ages found a dwelling place in the heart of many a true lady. She finds in it a treasure more precious than the most costly pearls. Lisa was a true lady. She was born in comfortable circumstances, and received a high education; but wealth and learning do not in themselves make a woman a lady. The pure refinement of her tastes, the tender sympathies of her nature, the sensitive feelings of her soul, the lofty nobility of her character, made the subject of the present sketch a fine type of her who reigns as queen in the sphere of true womanhood, the lady.
But Lisa was also a Christian lady, and the story of her conversion to Christ is deeply interesting and instructive. Her father had died a few years before, and now she was mourning the death of her mother. The world had lost all its attraction for her, and she was content to pass her days in the retirement of her villa in a picturesque town of southern Italy.
Winter had come again with its long evening hours which Lisa resolved to pass in reading. She had been brought up by her parents as a Roman Catholic, and had duly received its sacraments, but she was not deeply impressed by the doctrines of her Church.
She was convinced that there was much superstition mixed with the common religious practices, but what portion thereof might be merely traditional she could not say. There was a vacuum in her soul which the popular religion could not fill. Would fiction prove a light food for her wearied mind and help her to forget her sorrows? She would try.
Late one evening she was still poring over the pages of a French novel. It was moral, but certainly not spiritual. The author, although an unbeliever, in order to depict his subject as graphically as possible introduced in toto the parable of the prodigal son. As Lisa read it she stopped. “This is divine," thought she, and re-read that story of God's love as told by His Son, our Lord and Savior. Although embedded in the infidel teaching of that novel, it shone as a diamond buried among the rugged rocks. Lisa seemed to forget the theme of the novel and concentrate her contemplation on the brief but beautiful story of the prodigal's return. Whom did he represents A voice seemed to whisper, “me." Of whom did that father speak 'I The same voice seemed again to say, “God." Day after day the scene of that prodigal, once rich, but reduced by sin to poverty, in his rags, but now penitent, returning home, welcomed, forgiven, clothed and happy at home—all appeared before the vision of her mind as living.
In the tenth chapter of Acts we read of a devout Italian, Cornelius by name, to whom God sent His servant Peter to declare fully the way of salvation. And He knew the heart of this devout Italian lady, groping her way in the darkness of human teaching, requiring “the light of life." His message of love was ready, and Lisa was ready to receive it. His messenger was ready. But where? There he is; crossing the southern Apennines on his way. He is an Italian evangelist on a missionary journey. Day by day he is guided by the Lord, and makes it his chief aim to go where and when He would lead. “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”
One day the evangelist arrived in Lisa's town. He knew no one there, and found no building in which he might preach the Gospel. He therefore decided to visit the homes of the people, offer them the Bible and tell them its joyful message. Shortly he came to Lisa's palazzo and used the heavy knocker. Immediately the massive door was opened and the evangelist was politely asked to enter. The stranger appeared respectable and serious, and Lisa having offered him a chair he introduced himself and his message: “Signora, I am a servant of Jesus Christ. My mission is to tell the people what He has done to save them. I have with me several copies of the Holy Scriptures which contain the divinely inspired record of God's plan of salvation. May I ask you, Signora, whether you have a copy”
Lisa: “No, Signore, I have not."
Evangelist: “Well, I am sure you ought to have God's Word and read for yourself what He says about the salvation we all need. The Bible is composed of the Old and New Testaments. In the former we have the testimony of the law and the prophets, while the New Testament contains the Gospel of Christ. It is the inspired record of God's love to this guilty world... "
Lisa: Excuse me, sir, I have been reading a book—not a religious book—and in it I have found a quotation made by the author, and it must be Divinely inspired."
Evangelist: " Be careful, Signora, what you read, and do not receive as Divinely inspired truth what is not God's Word. May I ask what book you refer to?"
Lisa: “Well, it is a French novel."
Evangelist: " Let me say again, Signora: beware of these pernicious books."
Lisa: " But it is not the book itself that I want your opinion about: in fact I feel no interest in it. There is in it, however, a quotation which I should like to read to you, for I perceive you are a serious and religious man, and perhaps you can tell me more about it. I understand it is a parable, and has doubtless a great moral lesson behind it. Now let me read it: A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his father: Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
"And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
“And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
“And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
“And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
“And when he came to himself, he said: How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him: Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him) and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
“And the son said unto him: Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
“But the father said to his servants: Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry."
As soon as she had read the first few words of the Divine parable, the interest of the evangelist became intensified and deepened, and grew into surprise, wonder and amazement as she proceeded.
Lisa: “Now, Signore, that is surely Divinely inspired."
Evangelist: “Certainly, it is."
Lisa: “It has greatly impressed me."
Evangelist: “Every time I read it, or hear it read, I feel moved to tears, as... "
Lisa: “Then you have read this quotation before? Do you know who is the author of it? "
Evangelist: “Yes, I do. I know Him well." Lisa: “You mean that you know his writings." Evangelist: “No, Signora, I mean that I know Him." Lisa: “How I should like to know Him!” Evangelist: “Well, I have come to tell you about Him."
Lisa: “You mean the author of that beautiful parable which I have read to you?”
Evangelist: “Yes, indeed."
Lisa: “This is a most wonderful coincidence!”
Evangelist: “It is, Signora, and I believe God has graciously planned it all. That Divinely inspired parable of the prodigal son was spoken by Jesus Christ, in order to reveal God's love to us. We are by sin like that prodigal, but if we repent and believe the Gospel, and come by Christ, Who is the only way, to the Father, He will welcome and forgive us, and we shall live with Him as His children."
Lisa: “What a true explanation and application of the parable you have given me! But where did you find the parable”
Evangelist: “In this Book which I offered you, Signora. This is the Bible, God's Word, the Holy Scriptures, and here, in the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel according to Luke, is that very parable of the prodigal son."
Lisa: “Why then did that infidel novelist quote from God's Word?"
Evangelist: “Even Satan himself quoted the Holy Scriptures."
Lisa: “As soon as I read the parable I felt as if another voice, not human, was speaking to me. Well, sir, please tell me more about Him Who spoke these Divine words."
The evangelist having faithfully and fully expounded to the lady the whole parable, read to her these two other verses of Scripture: " For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me " (14:6).
The light of the glorious Gospel dawned upon Lisa's soul. Hitherto she had been endeavoring to attain to salvation by her love to God, but she found how vain and hopeless this effort was, imperfect, impassible. Now she had heard and believed the good news of God's love to her. She saw that Christ was the measure of that love. She believed on Him, and she knew on the authority of His Word that she had everlasting life; and this she proved by a long and consistent Christian testimony.