AMONG the coal mines of the Loire, in France, there lived a man who was once an idol worshiper, and noted for being very ignorant and wicked, for you know, idol worship always makes people wicked. Well, this poor man was a very bad man, and very brutal to his poor patient wife and little boy. Indeed, his treatment of the poor boy, who was only twelve years of age, had driven him from his home altogether, and he had gone to live with a shepherd to help him in minding the sheep.
One day a comrade, who was a believer in the Son of God, spoke to this half-savage man about a “heavenly Father.” Now this miserable man had never known an earthly father, nor a brother either, for he had been forsaken by his parents from a child, and had been brought up by some peasants, who, belonging to the same religion, had treated him very harshly, so that he really had never known kindness, much less love. How thankful you ought to be that you live in a country where the Bible teaches both! and how little children, and those who love them, should dread and avoid every approach to idol worship! You know Satan hates what Jesus loves; and, as Jesus loves little children, you will find that wherever idol worship reigns, there little children are more or less hated and treated with cruelty. It was so when the Israelites worshiped idols (2 Kings 17:17); it is so to this day in China and Africa, where children are bought and sold, or left to perish, and it was so formerly in England and all the other countries in Europe when idolatry was universal.
Well, when this poor man heard about, a heavenly Father, and “a Brother born for adversity,” and was told that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ become the children of God; when he heard about the love of God in sending His dear Son into the world to save sinners, and the love of Christ in dying for them, he was quite astounded, and could hardly believe his ears.
“If all that’s true,” said he. “I’ll go and hear the preachers myself.”
He went, and the Lord met him; he was brought under deep conviction of sin, and, after a while, found peace in believing in that precious blood “which cleanseth from all sin.” Broken-hearted and deeply penitent he went home to his wife and begged her pardon with tears for all his brutal treatment of her, and the many cruel blows he had given her.
Then he sought out his poor boy, who at first was so terrified, that he would not come near him; but the penitent father told him what Christ had done for his soul, and spoke so tenderly, and looked so different, that the child was soon convinced, and rejoiced with his poor mother over the wonderful change they saw in him. After this he went round to everybody to whom he owed anything, and paid them all. One of these debts was so old that the creditor had forgotten both him and it, hut the converted miner knew all about it, and insisted on paying, which he did.
His wife, though a patient, well-conducted woman, was still an idol worshiper, and, for a long time, saw no need of Christ for herself. She rejoiced in the change that grace had wrought in her husband, but still trusted in her priests and their mummeries, for she did not really know herself a sinner, and therefore her conscience was easily satisfied with “confession” to the priest and prayers to the images of the saints. In the meanwhile the converted miner became an earnest laborer for Christ, in giving away tracts and speaking to all who would listen to him; and in this way he was the happy instrument of leading nine persons to Jesus. At last the Lord gave him the desire of his heart—his wife and son were both brought to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and were both baptized in the river Loire. The converted miner, of course, was present; and, when all was over and all the company gone, he stayed behind alone, on his knees, on the shore of the river, to pour out his heart in weeping over the precious love of Christ, who had done so much for him.
“To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much.”
Are you forgiven? But, perhaps you do not feel your need of forgiveness? You may not have been so had as the converted miner had been, but you see even the poor little boy found out, through grace, that he was a sinner, and because he was a sinner he fled to Christ. “For this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—only sinners. If you are not a sinner, you have no Saviour; if you are, you cannot do without Him. Then go to Jesus at once, it may be “too late” tomorrow.
ML 12/25/1904