We had been holding gospel meetings in several sections of a large city, and God was giving blessing in the salvation of souls. One morning as I left my quarters I was met by a tall, thin, cadaverous-looking fellow in the street.
"Preacher," said he, "I am in the dark—my mind is much distressed. Maybe you will be able to help me. I'll first tell you a little of my history.
"I have been in this country for about ten years. I left my home to free myself from all restraint. I just hated religion, wasn't inclined that way a bit; and, like many other foolish young fellows, I determined to have my fling at the world.
"I am practically an atheist, though I haven't publicly avowed myself as such. I have blotted God out of my thoughts, and have acted as if there was no God. In fact, I've tried to persuade myself there is none!
"I haven't prospered much—had to push my way against tremendous difficulties; but at length I've settled here in business. I have a good wife, and we do pretty well, considering; but somehow, lately, I have been awfully troubled in my mind. I'm in the dark— can't see my way a bit. Somehow the thought keeps forcing its way in, that there is a God—that I shall have to do with that God whom I have been all these years practically denying.”
"No wonder you are in the dark," said I. "When, a man denies God, and lives without Him, he can't get anywhere else but in the dark. Don't you know the couplet: 'Light obeyed increaseth light; light rejected bringeth night'?”
"Well, can't you help me at all?”
"No, I'm afraid not; I don't know how I can."
"It does seem hard that I can't get some light.
It's awfully dark.”
"How long has this been troubling you?”
"About three or four weeks.”
"Can you account for it at all? Have you been reading anything, or hearing anything that has stirred your mind?”
"No, nothing at all. It came all of a sudden—night after night—so that I couldn't sleep for thinking. Can you account for it in any way?”
"Yes, I think I can. Does anyone ever pray for you?”
"Oh, I'm sure my brother in the Old Country does. He has never left off since I left home; I'm sure of that.”
"Then what you are now feeling is merely the beginning of the answer to your brother's prayers. He believes in God. He knows God; and now the answer is coming. You are getting uneasy, and the truths of past years are coming to the front again. How do you like it?”
"Oh, it’s awfully dark, and I'm miserable! I can't get any light anywhere. My health is beginning to suffer. I have no appetite. Can't you help me?”
"No," said I, "I'm afraid I can't; it's not so easy to get back to God when you have been going away from Him for ten years. Jesus Christ says, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me!' You can only get back to God by Him. But then you said that you could not believe a word in the Bible, so that won't help you at all.”
"No; I can't believe that.”
Without further talk, we parted. A few weeks passed, and I saw him coming into the service one night, at a place four or five miles from his home. At the close he came up to me saying, "Will you try and help me tonight? I am worse than ever; and if I don't get help soon, I shall die. I can't sleep, eat, or attend to business. It does seem hard.”
"Not hard, my friend, by any means. The Bible says, 'Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' But, I forgot! You don't believe a word in the Bible.”
"No, I can't believe a word in the Bible; but can't you help me, somehow?”
"No. I have no other resource but the Bible; and that's no use to you.”
"What shall I do? I am all astray. I have got far away from God!”
"What did you say just then?”
"Why, that I had got far from God, and gone astray altogether.”
'Well, I think I could find one line that you could believe now. Shall I try?”
"Do! I shall be so glad to get one line that I can really believe.”
"How do you know it is?”
"It describes me! I've gone astray! That's me, and no mistake! Why, there's one line that I can believe!
I never thought that you'd find a line like that in the Bible.”
"Well," said I, "you've got what you wanted now one line out of the Bible that you can believe; so good-night, friend.”
"Stop! Stop a bit! I've got a line that I can believe; but I'm just as much in the dark as ever. That line hasn't helped me at all.”
"No," said I; "it wasn't meant to. It merely states a fact that you knew before. It never does help a man to read he's 'gone astray,' when he knows it already.”
"Would you mind trying another line?”
"I don't mind trying another; but do you think you ought to? Isn't one enough at a time?”
"Well, you see, I don't think that one line has helped me at all; and I'd so much like to try a second.”
"Why, that's true too; you say you went your way from God I went my way. That line describes us both. Yes, I can believe that line.”
"But observe," said I; "it is little more than you expected. Now you have two lines more out of the Bible that you can believe and know they are true. Isn't it strange, now! You never expected that, did you?”
"No, I never did. It is wonderful that I could believe those two lines. But yet, somehow, they don't seem to have done me any good. I'm just as dark, and feel no nearer God.”
"No," said I, "they are not meant 'to bring you into the light. They merely describe us two; and we know they are true, because they are our experience.”
"Well, would you mind trying to find a third line?”
"I don't mind trying any number, because I believe every line in the Bible; but I wouldn't advise you to try a third. You wouldn't be able to believe it.”
"I think I might; I think perhaps I might.”
"I feel sure you would not be able to," said I. "Still if you very much wish it, here it is.”
Once more we read together: "And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." "There now," said I, "this third line is more than you can believe, isn't it?”
"Well, yes. I must confess I can't accept that at all. I can't believe that.”
"I thought you would not be able to. I told you that two lines were all you would manage at one time.”
"But how do you account for it that I cannot believe this third line?”
"I can tell you, but you will not like what I say." "I wish you would. How strange that I can believe two lines, but not three!”
"Well, then, the reason simply is that you are the biggest fool out! And I can prove it in five minutes, if you like.”
"I wish you would then, for you are hitting me rather hard.”
"Suppose that, instead of this Bible in my hand, I was holding a photograph album, and we were looking at the pictures. The first one would be a picture of your neighbor. 'Yes,' you would say, 'I knew that man well: and it's a capital picture of him.' The next one, I might say, is that of your business acquaintance. `Do you know him?' Yes—exactly; a speaking likeness!'
"Now, we will turn over to the third picture. This is my neighbor. Did you ever see him? 'No.' you reply, `I never saw him.' But I have,' I say; 'and I can vouch for that being a first-rate picture.' Now the fourth is my friend. Is he a stranger to you? 'Yes,' you say; 'I never saw him.' But, say I, I know it is as good a picture of him as are the others we have looked at. And then you reply, 'I can't believe that those two are a bit like the men you say, because I have never seen them; and until I do see them, I shall never bring myself to believe that those are their pictures, even though they are taken by the same artist.' Wouldn't you be a fool to reason that way?”
"Why, certainly I should; but I have not done that.”
"Yes, you have," I replied. "I have shown you four pictures in that one verse, Isa. 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6). The first one was yourself—which you immediately recognized. The second was mine: and that, you said, you recognized also. Those first two lines showed us ourselves. Now the third line shows us just as plainly the Lord Jesus and God; and you assert that you can't believe that third line. What right have you to impugn the accuracy of the Holy Spirit in describing to you the Lord Jesus and the living God, when you have seen His accurate drawing of us two?”
"Let me hear the whole verse again. I fear that I'm a fool, after all! You are right!”
We read the verse over; and once more I tried to explain to him the meaning of the statements in the three lines.
"Do you mean to say," said he, "that my safety and whole future life depend upon my believing that third line?”
"Yes, I do!”
"Then I'll stake my entire existence, for time and for eternity, on that third line. I put my finger on it, and declare that I believe that every word of it is true!”
Solemnly we dropped on our knees, and I repeated his words to the Lord Jesus. He then followed in humble and broken confession of his sin; and ere he rose again the light had entered his soul. The three lines had accomplished the purpose of God! They had found entrance into his soul through the door of faith, and he was rejoicing in salvation.