An aged, man was dying in his own little cottage near the seaside. A young Christian lady and her father heard of his sickness and called upon him. The daughter, who waited on him, said, “I will take you up to his bedroom, but he is so deaf that I do not think you will make him hear a word.” And so it proved. The poor old man turned his restless eyes toward his visitors, and when they spoke he exclaimed, “I cannot hear you! it is too late now to come and talk to me; but I’ve been a good man, and always paid my way, so I’m not afraid. God will have mercy upon me!”
Very earnestly did Mr. and Miss A long to tell him of the blood of Jesus, of that which alone “cleanseth from all sin,” but their efforts were useless; he could not hear them. So they left him with saddened hearts, for all his remarks showed them that he did not know the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour, and that he was trusting to his own good works and respectability as a reason why he should be saved.
Miss A. determined, however, that she would, if possible, tell the poor dying man of the love of God; and in answer to her prayer for guidance, God graciously helped her. Remembering that; although deaf, he was not quite blind, she painted in long black letters very clearly on a large sheet of white paper the words: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). When finished, she carried the text to the old man’s cottage, and had it put up at the foot of his bed, so that he might easily see and read it.
They were blessed, blessed words—the good news, the gospel, telling of God’s wonderful love to sinners in the gift of His Son—and they were made a means of blessing to the soul of this poor old man. He read them over and over again many times; and before he passed away, he confessed that he was a guilty, hell-deserving sinner, but that he was now happy through the certainty that his sins were washed away by the blood of Christ. The Holy Spirit so applied the Word to him that he said no more about being a “good man,” but taking his true place as a sinner, and being justified by faith, he had “peace with God though our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The last words on his lips were those of the painted text; his daughter mentioned that he repeated them till the time of his departure.
Dear young Christian, take courage by this little narrative. Be very earnest for the blessing of others—seek to win souls for Christ—and because you are thoroughly helpless unless God strengthen you, always ask Him to direct you and give you wisdom, for He can remove all obstacles, and always honors the prayer of faith. Have confidence in God’s own Word, for truly it is “quick and powerful,” “able to make wise unto salvation.”