“Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the waters near me roll,
While the tempest still is high.”
THE above words, so well-known to us, rang out on the silence of the night in the ward of one of the workhouses in Hull.
They came from the lips of a man named Robert Scott, known to the police and public as the noted cycle thief.
This poor man, having passed through the hardships of a sailor's life in the great war, was admitted to the workhouse infirmary suffering from consumption, and as he told the writer of these lines, he was "just waiting for six-foot," meaning the grave.
But how came he, a sinner (who, in addition to the crime mentioned above, had left his wife and children to shift for themselves), to be singing Jesus, lover of my soul "?
Oh! story of mercy and love, Jesus did love his soul, as He also loves the souls of all His poor creatures, which great fact God's servants have to "persuade men" to believe, as they themselves were persuaded.
Yes, and Robert Scott was no exception, for when the gospel was presented to him, he mocked, and said he wished to have nothing to do with "sky-pilots.”
The writer, in great sorrow, after warning him of the result of refusing Jesus Christ as his Saviour, left him on his death-bed to await the "six-foot.”
But God's word had had its blessed effect upon his fellow-sufferer in the next bed, who with his friends were deeply moved.
The next visiting day came, and the poor dying man was again approached in gentle persuasion. But he turned his back, and would not listen. But the visitor softly whispered, "Robert Scott, you have had a hard life, but God loves you.”
Two days after this the writer received the following note, written with shaking hand: "Will you kindly come and see me? I should like to have a word with you before I pass away.—R. Scott.”
You may be sure no time was lost in answering to this request; and on arriving I found a new R. Scott; not a scoffer now, but a pleader and weeper; one who said, "Oh! I am a sinner, but Jesus is my Saviour." And now, instead of waiting for "six-foot," he desired to live to tell others of his Saviour. He now hated sin, and appealed to Jesus to keep him from it. And it was a joy to me to hear my friend and brother in Christ ask for the Bible, which lay upon the table in the ward, to which his and my gracious Saviour had led him, and which he said had not been opened by anyone in the ward. He wished me to see that he had marked Job 19:25-26.
Oh! blessed assurance, he knew that his Redeemer lived, who had once died for him, and that "in his flesh he would see God," the God he now knew as the One who had so loved him as to give His only Son to die for him.
Well might he sing, "Jesus, lover of my soul," at a time when others wished to sleep. But he so desired them to know his Saviour, who had awakened him from that death-sleep in which are all who have not met his Saviour, all who are "dead in trespasses and sins." (Eph. 2:1).
And so he passed away to meet Him, whom he had found before it was too late.
Is this the end of R. Scott? Oh! no; for while in this life he had expressed a wish for his visitor to bury his body; and so, in company with his fellow-sailors and officer, his body was borne to the grave to await "the first resurrection," for "in his flesh he would see God"; and as we sang, “Jesus, lover of my soul," many a tear was shed by these" men of war," the officer also breaking down; and during the preaching of the gospel words were heard on all sides," I will believe.”
Though R. Scott's body was laid in the grave, his spirit was with his Lord (2 Cor. 5:8), because he believed in Christ as his Saviour.
Someone remarked, "What a terrible career the man has had," and it was my privilege to say, “His sins, which were many, were gone.
`The Blood of Christ' had washed them away, to be remembered no more.”
Reader, are your sins gone, to be remembered no more? Can you say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth"? If not, let me persuade you to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16:31). Give to me, a fellow sinner, saved through sovereign grace, the joy of leading you to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of poor, vile sinners.
To those of my readers who are saved, I would affectionately say, “Oh! beloved, tell them, oh! tell poor sinners of Jesus and His love. Warn them of ' the wrath to come.'”
Now "to Him" who” is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” (Heb. 7:25; 2 Peter 3:18).
“Other refuge have I none,
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee.”
NOTE.—I might add that R. Scott asked his wife's forgiveness, and gave her a copy of “The Travelers' Guide from Death to Life." E. C. T.