THE writer was asked by a young man in London to go and see a poor old man, who was lying ill of paralysis. He had been not only a careless, godless man, but openly wicked, and especially in profane swearing. Even at the age of nearly seventy he could scarcely speak of the ordinary affairs of his business without swearing.
The young man above referred to, hearing an old, gray-headed man using such language when at his daily work, ventured to speak seriously to him on the subject. Shocked with the oaths he uttered, and thinking on the fearful state of his soul, and on what his future must be if he died in that state, he got his address and called at his house. There he could speak more plainly to him in the full sense of the word, he had lived "without God and without hope in the world" for nearly threescore years and ten.
Soon after this he met with a great affliction. The whole of the left side became paralyzed, so that he was kept to his bed. And now, what an object of pity! Helpless as to the body, hopeless as to the soul, in the depths of poverty, and without comfort from any quarter. Death reigned, we may say, alike in body, soul, and circumstances. One half of the poor body was already in the grasp of death, and how near, humanly speaking, was his soul to the depths of hell! But “the God of all grace " is the God of resurrection. He often makes us feel that all is as death around us before He begins to work. It was truly so in the case of this poor palsied old man; but God had mercy on him. Resurrection-life and blessing were on their way to him; they were now near at hand. Hear how they came.
Two or three years before this time the youngest son of the old man enlisted. He was quartered in the Portobello Barracks, Dublin, when the father was lying ill. Happily for this youth (and for many others also, we doubt not) one of the officers was in the habit of preaching the gospel there. The young soldier was induced to go and hear him, and it pleased God in the riches of His mercy to touch his heart. He was convinced of sin, and fell, as he said, at the feet of Jesus, and found pardon and peace there. He believed that the blood of Jesus had cleansed all his sins away.
He was full of joy, and in the fullness of his new joy he wrote a letter to his father. And this letter, so full of zeal and love, proved to be God's message of mercy to that father's heart. We were privileged to read two of his letters, and both were full of the most tender appeals to his father to repent, and believe in Jesus.
These letters, through the Lord's blessing, broke the father's heart; and little wonder.
The sweet and touching way he spoke of the love of Jesus, and of His readiness to pardon the chief of sinners, ought to have been enough to melt any heart; but coming from a runaway son, from one who could use the expression, "O my dear father!" added their power, and produced the desired effect. He burst into floods of tears, and sometimes became quite excited, exclaiming, “O my dear boy!”
But God, we fully believe, was at work in his soul. In the fullness of his heart he believed what his son wrote; he followed his advice; bowed at the feet of Jesus; confessed his sins; cried for mercy, and found it.
He found mercy where all who seek it find it, and where none ever sought it in vain. It is full and free to all (blessed, forever blessed, be "the God of all grace"!) to old and young; to the morally good and to the chief of sinners; to the child of tender years, who may never have done worse than say "No" to a parent, and to the hoary-headed sinner of threescore years and ten, whose history has been blackened by many a crime. Such is grace, the full, free, rich, sovereign grace of 'God, to the sinner who believes in Jesus, Neither age, character, nor condition affects God in showing mercy. He acts on the ground of the finished work of Christ, which is eternally complete; and all who believe in Jesus rest on the work which He accomplished.
Is this the solid ground, may I ask, on which my reader rests—the finished work of Christ? If thou art looking to thine own doings for rest, or to thine heart for comfort, thou wilt never find them there. Happiness is not to be found in frames and feelings and doings, but in Christ and His finished work. As thou art, my dear reader; in youth or in old age; in the vigor of manhood, or palsied in every limb; the wild, roving youth, or the blaspheming old man, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; believe in the greatness of His love; believe in the riches of His grace; believe in the cleansing power of His blood; and thou shalt not only be saved but perfectly happy.
Look at the two extremes before thee. The burden of the young soldier's letters was the love of Jesus, and His readiness to forgive all who come to Him. Though we only read them once, and that with no thought of ever referring to them in print, yet we can remember how he entreated his father with great earnestness to come to Jesus. No doubt they bore the marks of his history and experience, but his heart was warm and earnest.
For the sake of others we give the following as the substance of these appeals. “O my dear father, come to Jesus; He will pardon all your sins, He died for us all on the cross. I believe it now, and I am quite happy. I went to hear Captain T— preach, and I was brought to the feet of Jesus. I then saw what a sinner I had been, but He has washed all my sins away by His precious blood; and if you come to Jesus, dear father, He will wash all your sins away too, and then your soul would be saved. You know He died for us all, and He casts out none that come to Him.
He will not cast out you, my dear father, oh! believe it. He did not cast out me, He has pardoned all my sins. Oh! come to Jesus, my dear father, come to His feet, pray to Him, and He will forgive all your sins.”
We can never forget the bursting emotion of that heart, and the flowing tears, as we read these touching appeals by his bedside. They had been read to him before, over and over again, but they seemed as fresh as ever. In order to test the reality of the work, we suggested that there might be nothing more in the change which he had experienced than the natural feelings of a father for a son. But the moment he saw our suspicion he became very animated, and beating on his breast, looking up to heaven, he exclaimed, “Oh, no; it is the charity of Jesus to my soul, it is the charity of Jesus to my soul; His blood, His blood has taken my sins all away.”
He was a foreigner, spoke with a strong foreign accent, and had been a soldier in his youth. When we spoke to him of the love of Jesus, and of the blessedness of being with Him in heaven, it was too much for him. He was overcome with emotion. He spoke with full assurance of his pardon and acceptance.
The Lord alone be praised. He who was the chief of sinners once, now quietly rests with the Lord, patiently waiting His coming.
Our main object in writing the above is to draw attention to what we may call The Circle of Blessing. We have often observed it in families and in wider circles. God is the fountain of all blessing; the risen Lord is the channel; the Holy Ghost is the power, and the truth is the means.
Take the example before us. God fills the heart of Captain T— with love to souls; he can no longer be quiet, and enjoy salvation alone; he must preach the gospel to others.
A meeting-place is found; the salvation of God is proclaimed; blessing flows down from the heart of God; a young soldier is converted, and grace flows on. A love for souls is now implanted in his heart; his first thoughts are his own family; God uses natural affection.
His father, who is lying ill, is especially laid on his heart. He writes letter after letter, and thus he becomes a preacher of the gospel. His father is converted, and the grace of God that saves him now re-ascends to God in praise.
A perfect circle is completed.
As it is in nature so it is in grace. The vapors that rise from the sea, and are carried on the wings of the wind, fall on the earth in dews and plentiful showers. The thirsty ground is refreshed and fertilized; the pools are filled with water; the streams and rivers flow, and carry back to the ocean that which left it in vapors. The sea has lost nothing, and all living have been richly blessed.
Thus should it be with grace and truth. Oh! that everyone who receives the gospel would be faithful in his own sphere, and according to his own ability, in spreading the truth of God, the glad tidings of salvation! Wide, wide as the circle of the Holy Spirit's action, would the blessing flow. May our Lord's own word to His disciples be our motto: —"FREELY YE HAVE RECEIVED, FREELY GIVE" (Matt. 10:8). MAT 10:18
JESUS ONLY can impart
Peace of conscience, rest of heart;
JESUS ONLY can supply
Solid comfort when we die.