I WAS lately at some services in a fishing village; the meeting house was crowded, and the gospel was preached simply and faithfully.
Among those who remained to be spoken to at the close of the meeting was a young man, about twenty years old. During the evening I had noticed his deep, earnest gaze fixed on the speaker as each word seemed to go straight to his heart.
Going up to him, I said, "Do you know Jesus as your Saviour?"
“I never heard the like before," he said, adding in eager tones, “Oh, tell me more about Him."
I spoke to him, as I would have spoken to a child, of the Lord Jesus. He was ignorant, indeed, but the Holy Spirit had convinced his conscience of the true nature of sin and touched his heart with a sense of the amazing love of God.
This young man was able to grasp at once the most blessed of all truths ; for it was the person of the One who died for him that had captivated his heart.
"I'll take Him at His word," he said, as we rose to leave, when the others had gone and the place was being locked up. As he accompanied me far on my way home, we still spoke of Him who is the chiefest among ten thousand, the altogether lovely One."
It was the first time he had heard about Jesus, for he had never, before that night, attended a preaching or entered a place of worship. He had never read about Him; In fact," he said, "I cannot read, but I'll soon learn." We agreed to meet upon the following evening, but before that time came, his eyes had seen the King in His beauty.
Next morning I received a message that he was very ill and wished to see me. With some difficulty I found the house. Getting no response to my knock, I opened the door and walked in. Everything bespoke the deepest poverty; a drunken, sullen-looking man sat smoking by the fire, while the mother and a sister stood around a bed in the corner of the room.
There lay my young friend; but a great change had passed over him. There were traces of pain and suffering, yet his face was calm and peaceful, and a pleasant smile parted his lips; I did not need to look twice to see that the lines of death were already upon that pale countenance. Bending over him I said,
"Are you suffering much?”
"He has been unconscious all the morning; I am afraid he won't know you," said the mother, as I received no reply.
"Have you much pain?" I repeated; but still no answer came. Bending lower, I said, "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin."
“Aye, that's it, that's it! “he exclaimed.
Oh, the power of the Name of Jesus! It seemed as if nothing could recall him from the stupor in which he lay but that Name which is above every name, and which doubtless was the first to spring from his soul into the fulness of adoration and praise as he entered the presence of the King Eternal.
As his eyes rested on me, he pressed my hand, and with a look of recognition and welcome, said, "I'm glad you have come. I'm going home to heaven; I shall see Jesus, and be with Him for ever."
Presently he spoke again, “Will you tell them," indicating his father, mother, and sisters, “about Him." He entreated them to come to the Saviour and meet him in heaven; then closing his eyes he lay back quite exhausted.
I asked him whether he would like me to read.
“Yes," he said, " about Jesus”; and I read from the eighth chapter of Romans, " For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come; nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
As I finished, a radiant smile lit up his features, as he slowly but distinctly said, “Never be separate from Jesus," and with a gentle sigh he fell asleep in Him, to awake in His likeness and be satisfied.
K. R.