I called on a man who, I felt, was anxious about his soul.
Scarcely had I taken my seat on the bench beside him, when he said to me:
"I longed to see you."
"What for?" said I.
"Since daylight this morning," said he, "I have not been able to pray; I can only find time and room for praise.”
"How is that," said I. "What makes you so happy?”
"You remember," said he, "your visit to me last Friday, and the three chapters you told me to read in Romans? Well, after pondering a good deal on what you had told me, and which sounded so differently from anything I had ever heard, I read them over and over again, but I got more and more miserable.
"All day Sunday was dark and gloomy, and yesterday too. I felt as if I must surely perish. Last night I could not close my eyes a single moment, but I lay on my couch in misery—O, what misery! Suddenly, while in my despair, my mind was arrested by a part of Romans 5—these verses:
“Tor when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die; but God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.'
"Oh, dear, dear sir, need I tell you the effect? I jumped to my feet. I praised God outright. I felt like a man who is already in heaven. I saw why Jesus was on the cross, crying out: "'My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?'" Matt. 27:46.
"I understand what is meant by 'It is finished.' I saw God's love to me, and I praised, and praised, and praised again. I saw my salvation was not out of anything from me, but out of Christ's finished work.... How blind I have been! I never saw till this morning! Till then, my eyes were altogether turned inward—looking within to see something that God could be pleased with; but since early this morning, my eyes are turned outward—to that which has been done for me. Till this morning, I always thought, what I had heard many say, that Christ has done His part, and we must do ours to be saved. What my part was, however, I never could get anyone to tell me with certainty, and still less could my own heart tell. I had the Bible, but I did not know where to begin. I was told I must repent; and earnestly and prayerfully I went at it, but never had the certainty I had fully satisfied God. I was told by many to be very earnest in prayer; and I agonized with God until I could but cry out:
"Lord, if I must go to hell, I will go there praying.
"I tried every way, but there was no light.... But this morning, as I saw my salvation all finished—yes, finished by the Lord Jesus—as I saw I was justified freely by God's grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, an indescribable peace took hold of me: all was bright. I saw at once I now had the key to the scriptures—the key of heaven itself. The face of God was now visible to me. I could see Him smiling on me, and I shouted to the top of my voice:
"This is the true light that comes from heaven!”
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36.