A FINE man, at least six feet in height, he was invalided out of the army. He had been in the Field Artillery. His pension was seven-pence per day, of which the Guardians Claimed sixpence, leaving him one penny per day for himself.
Brought up a churchman, he was put down in his regimental book as of the Church of England. But he had lived a lawless life as a soldier, and was a terror in manner and language in the Union Infirmary, where we first saw him. He had lived for twenty years in this Infirmary without coming out, and for ten years in one ward.
Having a privilege from the Master, a godly man, to visit and preach to the inmates, it was at the end of a visit that, having to pass through a ward where the inmates were lying in bed, I shook hands with several, and at last came to this man's bed. I took his hand, and said, "Are you a believer in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?”
He answered me by repeating the Church of England Creed, two parts of which I well remember, namely, "I believe He was raised the third day according to the Scriptures." "I believe in the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting.”
Many times the gospel was preached, both in this sleeping ward and in the next room-the convalescent ward. We traced man's down grade from Eden to Calvary: in the Garden of Eden a sinner; from that time till the Flood, violent and corrupt. After the Flood, could not rule himself, and was drunken; then an idolater; placed under law, a transgressor; God in mercy sending His Son, they said, "This is the Heir; come, let us kill Him"; putting Him on the cross, they sit down and watch Him there; Jew and Gentile guilty of the murder of the Son of God.
Such was the scene during the first three hours, from the third to the sixth.
From the sixth to the ninth hour the Saviour works. As made sin, and a sacrifice for sin, and the Sin-bearer, He cried, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" But He also came to taste death for everyone, and bear the sentence of death passed upon Adam's race.
He cried, “It is finished," and "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit." A soldier with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water; the blood that makes atonement, and the water which speaks of cleansing.
They place Him in the tomb.
When He came into the world, there was no room for Him in the inn, and the world cast Him out, giving Him a cross and a grave.
But God raised Him from the dead, and gave Him glory. The Spirit of God, through Peter on the day of Pentecost, declared, "God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
It was said, many own that these things were done, but, like Lazarus coming out of the tomb, are hindered by grave clothes from getting the full blessing and assurance of salvation. Their grave clothes are the creeds and doctrines' of men and sects, which many allow to occupy their minds, instead of the Word of God.
For instance, how may I know I have the forgiveness of sins?
Well, God has given a record of the Person and work of His Son by two witnesses—John the Baptist witnessed to His Person that He was the Son of God; John the Evangelist witnessed to the fact of His atoning death. And we have God's own testimony that, if any man believes this record, that even his faith in the record is that by which he overcomes the world. That is, from the moment he believes the record, God separates him, and he is not of the world, nor under its judgment; he also, through his faith, has everlasting life given him, and forgiveness of sins. His standing is in God's Son, and not in Adam. The whole world lieth in the wicked one, who led the world to reject and cast out the Son of God. (See John 1:32- 3432And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. (John 1:32‑34); John. 19:28-35; 1 John 5:4-5, 11-124For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4‑5)
11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. (1 John 5:11‑12).)
The first two scriptures give God's record of His Son.
If you believe this record, the third scripture is God's record to you.
Jesus, knowing these things, says for our blessing, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word” (of grace and truth, not the word that came through Moses, which was the law), “and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life.”
And the Saviour has left on record a promise that He will come for all those whom He calls His own, to be with Him in the place He has gone to prepare, and the Spirit of God testifies that as to anything being against these it is impossible, for as He is in the presence of God now, so are we in this world, and when we see Him we shall be like Him as to our bodies, for we shall see Him as He is. We have seen by faith what He was, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we are reminded by the Spirit of God that our Saviour and Lord has not forgotten His promise, although it was made before He left this earth.
Our Saviour's last words to us now from the glory are, "Surely I come quickly Amen.”
His own people unite in answering, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
At length this dear man was loosed from every hindrance of creeds and opinions, and gave thanks to God for His great salvation.
From that time he was a living testimony to the love of God, and kept many of the other inmates in check in their ways and language. His works testified to his faith, as will be seen by the following instance.
In the town there was much distress amongst the poor, and soup kitchens were commenced.
At the end of our service one Lord's Day evening he called me aside, and placed six two shilling pieces in my hand, asking me to give them to the treasurer for the poor. Such a gift shows that for a period of a hundred and forty-four days he had saved the one penny a day allowed to him out of his pension.
Dear Reader, are you a professing Christian, Romanist or Protestant? Have you the grave clothes on? Your Lord and Saviour says, “Loose him and let him go." The Spirit of God brings to you the record of God concerning His Son, and for your faith. Can you sing,
“I hear the words of love;
I gaze upon the blood;
I see the mighty Sacrifice,
And I have peace with God.
“'Tis everlasting peace,
Sure as Jehovah's Name.
'Tis stable as His steadfast throne,
For evermore the same.
“And yonder is my peace,
The grave of all my woes;
I know the Son of God has come,
I know He died and rose.
“I know He liveth now
At God's right hand above;
I know the throne on which He sits,
I know His truth and love,”
C. H. F.