A gay votary of fashion, a woman of the world, living for it, and giving herself up to it, was slightly indisposed and lying in bed, when her sisters came in, full of merriment and laughter. “Have you heard,” said they, “the latest joke?”
“No, what is it?”
“O, there is a mad fellow come to town, preaching what he calls ‘the gospel’. It is the most ridiculous thing out. We are going to hear him.”
By and by they were gone; and as this poor girl was lying alone in her bed, there came into her unsatisfied heart—she did not exactly know why—an indescribable desire to go too. She rang the bell for her maid and said, “I want you to dress me.”
The maid looked surprised and said, “You are not fit to get up, ma’am.”
“Never mind, I am going to get up; send for a carriage.”
The maid expostulated, but she would go. She got into the carriage and drove to the hall. There was but one vacant seat, just in front of the platform, and she was shown into it. By the time the hymn was sung and prayer offered, she was tolerably solemnized. Then there was a dead silence as the strange preacher came to the front of the platform and looked her full in the face, as if he had been specially sent to her. He paused for a moment, and as she looked up, wondering, her eyes met his. Gazing at her, as though he would read the secrets of her heart, he suddenly exclaimed, “Poor sinner! God loves thee!”
“I do not know,” she afterward stated, “what more he said. I have no doubt he preached the gospel very fully, but I heard nothing more. I sat there sobbing as if my heart was broken. I scarcely knew why it was, I could not help it. As I sat there, it seemed as though my whole life passed before me—a loveless, godless life—I had turned my back on God, lived for the world, lived for pleasure, lived in sin. That voice kept ringing in my ears over and over again; I could hear nothing else: ‘Poor Sinner! God loves thee!’ How I got out of the room, I do not know. I found myself by and by kneeling by my own bedside; tears were still streaming from my eyes; still I heard that voice within my soul: ‘Poor sinner! God loves thee!’ At last I looked up, conscious of my own utter unworthiness; I dared to look up, and I cried out: ‘O my God, if Thou lovest me, I take Thee at Thy word; I trust Thy love; I cast myself on Thy love.’”
Then the world faded away from this dear soul; its attractions lost their charm; the empty gaieties of life, in which she had been living, passed away like a dream of the morning; and she went on her way a new woman, born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the received love of God.