Some years ago there lived in north Germany a young man who did his own will and went his own way. He had no regard for his parents' wishes, nor for order nor government, and he learned to do wickedly. He was more desperate and foolhardy than all his wicked companions. But God was looking on, and He claimed the young German's soul for Himself. Karl was stopped in his wickedness, and convicted of his sin. He trembled as he thought of a judgment to come he ceased to do wickedly but knew not how to do well.
He was overpowered as he thought of his wicked life, and his one desire now was to atone in some way for his past sins. The question was HOW was he to do so! The monasteries he knew of in Germany were proverbial at that time for comfort and ease and good living. He felt to enter one would be but idle waste of time.
At last, after many inquiries, he heard of a monastery in Sicily, where there lived an order of monks called Trappists. Here everything was most severe. Little food, long hours spent in prayer and fasting, were the order of the house. No conversation was allowed except for an hour a week; no change of clothes; no outings; no letters. Life in fact was a scourge from morning till night.
Karl thought if he lived a lifelike this his position might in some way be eased in the judgment day and possibly some of the horrors of eternal punishment be avoided. So he set out to walk the long journey of hundreds of miles on foot, begging as he went.
At last he reached it, worn out with his weary tramp and the exposure it entailed, and rang the gate-bell for admittance. The gate was opened by a very aged monk, so old and feeble that it was as much as he could do to open the gate at all.
"What can I do for you?" he asked.
"Oh," answered the young German, "I want to be saved, and to atone for a very wicked life by prayers and hard work and self-denial."
The old monk looked interested. "Come in," he said, "and sit down and tell me more about yourself."
He took him into a little room near the gate, where they were alone together. "Now tell me what you mean," said the old man; "I should like to hear your story."
So Karl told him his sad history and how he hoped that by spending his life in penance, he might escape some of the judgment he deserved. He ended his story by saying, "Tell me what I am to do and I will gladly do it."
"If you do what I tell you," replied the old monk, "you will go back to Germany. There has been One down here who has done the whole work in your place before you came. He has finished it, SO THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR YOU TO DO."
Karl did not know what to make of such words. "Who has done it?" he asked.
"Did you never hear of the Lord Jesus Christ?" asked the old man.
"Yes, of course I have heard of Him."
"Do you know where He is?" asked the monk again.
"Yes, of course I know; He is in heaven," replied Karl.
"But tell me," said the monk, looking earnestly into his face, "do you know why He is in heaven? He was not always in heaven, you know. He came here to do the work that YOU want to do yourself. He came down here to bear the punishment of your sins and He is in heaven BECAUSE THE WORK IS DONE. If it were not so He would still be here, for He came to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself; and if anything remained to be done, He would still be here; for He undertook to do the whole work Himself, and He has gone back to heaven because He has DONE it. He said on the cross, `It is finished.' What was finished? It was the work YOU want to do."
"And now," added the monk, "if you want to add the crowning sin to your wicked life, and do something worse than you have done before, you may stay here and cast contempt upon the blessed, perfect work of the Son of God by taking upon yourself to do what only He could do. It may seem strange to you that I stay here. where Christ is thus insulted but I am very old and can only walk to the gate, so I must stay till the Lord calls me home. You may remain three days and I will tell you all I can about the Lord Jesus; and then go, I beseech you, and preach to your friends in Germany."
Karl did stay; and peace and joy filled his heart in believing. Then he returned and spent the rest of his life telling in private and public the blessed news of the finished work of Christ.
"Cast your deadly doing down,
Down at Jesus' feet;
Stand in Him, in Him alone,
Gloriously complete.
"It is finished!" Yes, indeed,
Finished every jot:
Sinner, this is all you need:
Tell me, is it not?"