An old man lay seriously ill in the infirmary of the almshouse. A woman for whom he had worked in his younger days requested a Christian friend to visit him for her. She wanted to know if he was happy, and if there was anything he needed.
On inquiring at the almshouse, the visitor was told that the old man was near death. He could no longer understand what was said to him; but if she wished, she could see him. Desiring to be able to tell her friend something about the poor old man, the visitor went to his bedside and said to him: "I have a message for you.”
"Don't bother me now, Molly," was his answer. His mind was wandering to other days, and to one who had shared them with him.
Thinking that the name of his old employer might strike a chord in his memory, the Christian said: "Mrs. Bentley sent me to ask if -you wanted anything. You know who she is, do you not?”
"No," was his answer in bewildered tones, "I don't.”
Wondering how to discover under these circumstances if the old man were really happy in his soul, as a last resource the lady said to him: "Do you know the Lord Jesus?”
No uncertainty or perplexity now! To this question came at once the clear and beautiful answer, "Yes, I know Him, and He knows me.”
Reader, do you know as your own the Good Shepherd, who says, "I know My sheep, and am known of Mine"? If not, I pray that the simple testimony of this feeble old man to the known love of the Lord Jesus may lead you to long to know such a Savior, and to possess such a Friend.