Corporal John Roberts, of the 1St King’s Liverpool Regiment, was for twelve years a tram guard, before joining the Army at the outbreak of the Great War of 1914. He was on Atheist, a speaker for, and member of the “National Secular Society.” He says: “The brightest day of my life was the day of my conversion. One day I was busy punching tickets, asking the usual question, ‘Where to?’ of my Passenger’s. I was asked by one, ‘Where to―are you a Christian?’ I promptly said, ‘No, I don’t believe in religion. I only believe what the poet wrote: “I sent my soul to hell to the invisible, some letter of the after-life to spell.”’ The answer came, ‘Heaven and hell are as you make them here below.’ I promised, however, I would attend some sort of a meeting to be held that night. As the men left the car, one said to me, ‘Jesus wants you.’ Those words clung to me all day. I went to the service. I had been to secular meetings, and spoken up and down the country, but never had I seen such a meeting as that. It did not interest me, but as. I was going out I felt a touch of the shoulder and heard the words, ‘Jesus wants you.’ What did He want me for? I was an atheist, and did not want Him. ‘Jesus wants you’ came to me again. ‘All right,’ I said, ‘I will see what. He wants me for.’
“I was then a young man of twenty-three years, and one not sentimental or easily to be pilled, so I followed and went to the penitent-form to see if the words Jesus wants you’ were real. And a faithful man of God told me of a Saviour who died for me, but I could not believe it. He suddenly said, ‘Are you willing to become one of the salted ones of this world?’ Was I willing? As soon as I was the light seemed to break through. I forgot everything that I was; all I wanted was to know Him that wanted me. I felt like a sick man who suddenly gets a new lease of life, and I leapt to my feet praising God, and went, home to tell my people that I was now going to believe in God and serve Him. This happened at Star Hall, Manchester, on October 10th 1907. Since then I have, by His grace and power, found Him the All-Sufficient One. ―John Roberts.” M.M. Worthing.