IT was probably about the twelfth century that Christianity was introduced into Westphalia, a province of Prussia. But the Christianity that found an entrance there had already at that epoch degenerated into Roman Catholicism or Popery, with its idolatrous ceremonies; and great was the need in Westphalia of the further light received from the Word of God at the time of the Reformation.
Many souls received great blessing then, and learned the truths of the Gospel; but the dissensions that arose amongst the Reformers on the subject of the Sacrament led to spiritual decay, so that their Protestantism became by degrees a religion of forms, and, with a few exceptions, the Westphalians fell into the sad state of Luke warmness described in the epistle to Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6). During the last twenty or thirty years the Spirit of God has again wrought in the province, and thousands of souls have been aroused from their torpor, to turn to the Lord and His Word, which is able to make wise unto salvation by faith in Christ Jesus.
Those who have lived in a large mining and manufacturing district like Westphalia know how frequent are the accidents, which entail a sad loss of life among the workmen. There are therefore many widows, and it is of one of these that I wish to tell you. She had been left with eight children, most of whom had married, and all had been brought to know the Lord. The mother alone remained a stranger to His grace, opposing her children by every means in her power, even showing annoyance when their good behavior proclaimed that they wished to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. At this time she was living with her youngest son, close to a large manufactory where he was employed. One day he came in suddenly to the cottage, saying that he had to drive his master to the station of B —, to meet a Swiss evangelist who would preach the Gospel on the following Sunday.
The widow thought she would like to go to the preaching, being curious to hear a different dialect to that spoken in North Germany. The young man did not fail to encourage her, glad enough that she should come under the sound of the Gospel from any motive whatever, for God’s Word is a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.
On the Lord’s Day afternoon, the passage chosen was Hebrews 10:1-18, and the evangelist drew the attention of his audience to three things concerning salvation. First, its source, the will of God, who desired the salvation of sinners; secondly, Christ, the way by which this will of God was accomplished, He having offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin (vs. 9); and thirdly, the power by which we can appropriate the blessings resulting from the death of Christ, namely, the Holy Ghost (vs. 15). He then warned those who had hitherto been indifferent to their soul’s salvation, that although Christ was now seated at the right hand of God (vs. 12), waiting till His enemies be made His footstool, yet the moment was near when He would rise up and call those who had believed on Him to meet Him in the air (1 Thess. 4:16, 17), and then what would become of those who had despised His grace? Nothing would be left for them but the anticipation of standing before the great white throne.
The widow had not lost a word that was said. She returned home struck with terror at the future before her, and her eyes opened to her state in the sight of God. She prepared her son’s tea, but could touch none herself. She went to a daughter living near, but her comforting words could not calm the anxious soul; for the Word of God, which is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, had reached her, and in the presence of a holy and just God she felt herself to be lost forever.
At ten o’clock at night, so great was her distress, that she went to the house where the evangelist was staying, to see if he could bring her any relief; but her errand was fruitless, all the household having retired for the night. Until midnight her son prayed with her, and read several passages in the Bible, but to no effect. “It’s all very well for you,” she said, “but I am too great a sinner, and my unbelief is the worst of all. Oh! what will happen to me when I stand before God?”
In the morning they heard that the preacher was on his way to pay them a visit. Her words when he entered the room were: “How thankful I am that you have come! What you said yesterday has made me wretched, for I see that I am lost, and that there is no hope for me.”
“Very well,” said the evangelist, “the Lord Himself said, ‘The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10); and also, ‘I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance’” (Matt. 9:13). Then turning to 1 Timothy 1:15, he read, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
“But you do not know what an unbelieving heart I have,” replied the widow. “I have eight children, all converted and steady, and if you could see the touching letters they have written, begging me to come to Christ, you would wonder I have not listened to them, but had hardened my heart against them; and now I cannot seem to lay hold of these good things you tell of.”
The evangelist knew that the woman was poor, and so he asked her, “Do you know that a clever doctor in Paris has a cure for hydrophobia?”
“Yes,” she said, “I have heard that.”
“And do you know how people can get received into his hospital, and the cost of the treatment?”
“No, sir.”
“Supposing tomorrow that you were to be bitten by a mad dog, would you know how to go all the way alone to Paris? and would you have enough money for the expenses of the journey and of the hospital?”
“Why, sir,” said she, “I have no money; I should have to be taken there, and paid for, too.”
“Now,” said the servant of the Lord, “that is just how it is with salvation. It comes from God, and depends on nothing in us. ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast’ (Eph. 2:8, 9). God has shown you your state of sin and unbelief, and He will draw you to Christ, and give you to believe on His name. ‘No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him.... Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Me’ (John 6:44,45). Read God’s Word, and remember that ‘faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God’” (Rom. 10:17).
Upon this he had to leave to catch his train, but on his journey he often prayed that God would meet the need of this troubled soul.
Six weeks later he received a letter from a friend, telling him that the poor widow had found peace with God, and was very happy in the assurance of His great love to her. A few months after he heard again of her joy in the Lord, and that she was not afraid to speak of her Saviour’s love to all her friends and neighbors, begging them not to delay any longer in coming to Him.
May the Lord give you, my reader, to consider your state before God, and may the sharp two-edged sword of His Word reach your heart and conscience; for it is better to find out now that we are not fit to stand in the presence of God, than to wait until by-and-bye, when even the earth and heaven will flee away from the face of Him who will sit on the great white throne.
G.