HOW full of deepest meaning are these words of the Lord Jesus, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one." (John 10:27-3027My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30I and my Father are one. (John 10:27‑30).) And as they are exemplified in the calling and final deliverance of one known as "Old Fred," I have undertaken the pleasant task of writing a short account of the matter for the benefit of the readers of FAITHFUL WORDS.
Rather more than five years ago, on one Good Friday, I took my stand near to the gate through which the people pass on their way home from the parish church. And as they passed me I gave a tract to each one, inwardly praying that it might be a message to some weary heart.
Among the number to whom I gave tracts was old Fred, the subject of this paper. From his youth he had possessed a most violent temper, and frequent and excessive indulgence in drinking intoxicating liquors had been as fuel to the fire, and thus, before he reached the prime of life, his temper had got such a hold on him, that the sound of his footstep was sufficient to make his wife tremble for her safety.
To make matters worse, he met with a serious accident, in which his skull and jawbone were fractured, and though he recovered bodily strength, his brain was permanently affected. After this Fred was more susceptible to outbursts of temper than before, and had less power to control himself. He became a slave to passion, and as he became feeble through advancing years he was carried away by it as chaff before the wind.
Such was the man in himself, and his outward appearance was anything but inviting, as he tottered along by the help of two sticks.
Going up to him, I accosted him by name, and asked after his health. In response he shook his head, and said, “I’ve got no recollection of ye, and I can't hear what ye says, my poor head is so bad. I have been to church, but I couldn't hear what the parson said, and I haven’t heard the bells for this three months."
Drawing very near to him, and raising my voice, I asked the question, “Are you ready to die?" He understood what I said, his countenance softened, his eyes filled with tears, and he replied, "No, sir, I bent." I went with him to his home, and taking my Bible from my pocket read to him what God declares the sinner to be. Indeed, the terrible position of the sinner drawn in the third chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, which I read to him, seemed too well to describe his case. Old Fred acknowledged his awful condition before God, and then I read to him of the Savior. Old Fred listened attentively, the tears trickling down his cheeks. When I began to speak to him of Jesus being ready to save him, it seemed as though the thought of looking to Christ for salvation was entirely new to him. So having prayed with him I departed, leaving him with a far brighter look than I had found him.
I called again in a few days, and found him overjoyed to see me. He seemed to have taken the message to himself without any questioning. He had nothing but sins to bring to Jesus, and he came heavy laden with them. “As a little child," he entered the kingdom. Having spent some time with him I rose to go on my way, and his parting word was, “Thank the Lord, I be happy now." From that time I visited him often, and with the exception of such occasions as when he was suffering with his head, I always received a hearty welcome, and generally a request to read a bit out of the Book. The "old, old story" would melt the poor old man to tears, and he would confess, “My blessed Savior shed His blood for me, and I can't help shedding tears for Him, my blessed Lord and Savior."
When his brain was clear, it was his delight to hear the Scriptures read several times a day, but when the periodical attacks came on he was unable to bear it, and ofttimes he was raving and violent. This made it very trying for his wife, and all who had to do with him. It was a great comfort at such times to remember the words of the Good Shepherd, “Neither shall any pluck them out of My hand."
For nearly five years I continued to visit old Fred, and I spent two nights with him just before he died. Up to the last he suffered much with his head, but in his rational moments he was always ready both to hear and to speak of the Lord Jesus. Many a time he has remarked, “It was a blessed day for me when you came to see me. I should never have known the Savior if you hadn't come."
Shortly before he died, I asked him, “Are you afraid to die, Fred?” He replied, " No, George, I bent afraid, my Savior shed His precious blood that I might have life eternal, and I longs to go when He sees fit to take me." He was very peaceful, and as the end drew near, he called his wife to his side, and having prayed, lay back and quietly breathed his last, the name of the Lord being his last utterance on earth.
Thus passed away one who had, at the age of seventy-six, been plucked as a brand from the burning. His sins, which were many, were forgiven, and he loved much. The short period spent on earth after his conversion was often clouded, yet He who " knoweth our frame and remembereth we are dust" did not forsake or cast off this feeble one, but ever in abounding grace restored him to communion and joy again. Having begun a good work in him He carried it on, until He called home His blood-bought treasure to see Him face to face, to know, even as also He is known, and to prove that however blessed it may be to know the Lord and have Him with us here, it is far better to depart and be with Him there.
“He and I, in that bright glory
One deep joy shall share,
Mine—to be forever with Him,
His—that I am there."
Dear reader, do you know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior? Remember this —no sin of yours can change Him. And though you can truthfully say—
"I've sinned for years
My sins are dark and foul,"
yet if you can believingly add—
“But Christ has died for me,"
you may now know on the same Divine authority that you have eternal life. Thus it is your portion and privilege to rejoice in all the grace and power set forth in the Scripture, quoted at the beginning of this paper. G. G.