IN passing a cottage on the outskirts of a town in Surrey, I was struck with the conspicuous position of a large sheet almanac. The cottage door was partly open, giving a full view of the almanac, which was placed close to the doorpost. Two verses of Scripture on it, in clear, bold type, could easily be read from the road. They seemed like messages from God to every one passing, the one telling that “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)). Then below was that verse in John 5, “He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)).
I often went by the cottage, for it was near where I was staying for a short time. The door always seemed to be left open wide enough for the almanac to be fully seen. The first opportunity I had I visited the cottage.
“Will you tell me who gave you this almanac?” I said to a very old woman who came to the door.
“A lady always leaves me one every Christmas,” she replied, and then invited me to come in.
As I entered I pointed to the words and read them, “He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
“Have you heard and believed?” I asked her. “I hope so,” was her answer.
“But are you not sure? Don’t you know?”
“I know that I have Christ,” she replied with deep feeling.
“How was it? Will you tell me about it?” I said as we sat down together.
“Well, it was that almanac two years ago. That verse you have just read was on it then, and it was always catching my eye. One night I could not sleep for studying it over, and then at last it all came quite clear to me.”
“You mean that you heard and believed God’s word, when He said He had sent His own Son to die for you as a sinner?”
“Yes, that was just it.”
“And have you ever had any doubts about it since?”
“Well, I have often been a good bit troubled,” she said, “but I can’t say I have ever doubted that I am saved. My daughter-in-law, here, says no one can know they are saved, but I tell her I can, I know I am saved.”
How simply she had taken God at His word, and rested her soul upon it! How many say they hope they are saved, not seeing that if they have really believed in Christ they are saved, and therefore how dishonoring such words are. Can they ever have read 1 John 5:10-1310He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:10‑13)? “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.”
Before I left, I asked the old woman what her age was.
“Ninety-four,” she answered. “Ah! if I had not read those words then I could not read them now; my sight has got too bad for me to read now. I can’t go about to tell folks; but I always put the almanac there close to the door, so that they can read the words for themselves, and you would be surprised to see how many come on to the step and seem to study over those words.”
Fellow Christian, does not this old woman put many of us to shame? Are we doing all we can to enable our friends and neighbors to “read the words for themselves”? There may be those around whom the question “Are you saved?” would rouse to a sense of their awful danger in neglecting eternal things. Perhaps some with hearts aching to know words whereby they may be saved, and if we keep back those words are we guiltless? Oh, may no dying friend ever be able to reproach us with, “You know the way to be saved, and yet you never told me!”
Dear unsaved reader, why will you neglect so great salvation? “Study over,” I beseech you, those two precious verses, and may you receive the message of God’s love which they contain. “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)). “He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)).
F. A.