SHORT time ago, two or three Christian persons were travelling together in the same carriage by railway.
At the commencement of the journey, one of them offered tracts to the occupants of the carriage, and, amongst the rest, he handed one to a young man. He readily received it, but, after glancing down the page, very politely returned it, saying, “I am not allowed to read such things; the Holy Catholic Church forbids my doing so.”
After a few remarks upon the contents of the little paper he was asked, “You admit the truth of Scripture, I suppose?”
“Most certainly,” he said. Another little tract containing Scripture only was then offered him, with the remark that it was simply the Word of God. This he received, and it was evident, as he read it carefully through, that its contents were of interest to him. Observing this, a pamphlet, written to show the authority of God’s Word, apart from all human intervention, and to show how grievous a sin it was for any to seek to hinder its immediate action upon the conscience, was passed to him, with the earnest request that he would promise to read it.
“I will,” he answered, and at once put it into his breast pocket; and then addressing himself to the one who had given him the book, he said, “What do you think of the Pope?”
“He is a man who, being like others sinful, needs the blood of Christ to fit him for God’s presence as much as you or I do,” was the reply.
To this the young man objected, saying that he was Christ’s Vicar upon earth. Further conversation ensued till the journey was ended, and the travelers went their respective ways.
When the incidents just narrated occurred a silent spectator was present. He happened to be travelling by train a few days later, when to his surprise the young man of this story entered his carriage.
“I remember your face,” he said; “we travelled together the other day.”
Fixing his eyes intently upon the speaker, the young man said, with deep feeling, “Would that we had never met, for I have been under the curse of the Church ever since. My spiritual adviser discovered what I had read, and as a punishment he has given me that to perform which nearly drives me mad.”
“Indeed! What is that?”
“Every night, when the clock strikes twelve, I have to arise and count my beads; besides which, I have to pay money before I can get free from this terrible curse.” And then, with a look of deepest agony, the young man added, “And, oh, if I should die under the curse of the Church, I shall sink into the flames of hell forever!”
“But,” rejoined the gentleman, “there is no such thing in Scripture as ‘the curse of the Church.’ Do listen. I, too, am a sinner, but I know my need of Christ, and I have come to Him, and I know that His precious blood has made me clean, and, as a consequence, I am free from all that slavish fear of which you speak, and my heart is filled with joy.”
“I would give anything to know that of which you are speaking,” replied the young man; “but at this moment I am under the curse of the Church.”
In response, the glory of the blessed Person of the Son of God was pointed out to the young man, and an earnest appeal to him was made, to believe the willingness of Christ to receive sinners, and to believe that He was made a curse upon the cross for our sakes, but that now He is seated supreme in power on the right hand of God in heaven.
With a look of agony and with clenched hands, the young man exclaimed in tones of solemn earnestness, “Oh, that I could grasp the blessed Person of the Son of God! But that holy man, the Pope, is standing between me and the Son of God.”
A few days later the gentleman again chanced on the young man. He kindly asked after the welfare of his soul, but was met by the reply, “Thank you, not another word about these things; I dare not stop to speak of them.”
Many, perhaps, may pity the young man, and wonder how he could remain so enthralled; but we are persuaded that numbers at this present moment are unwittingly treading a pathway which, unless the delivering mercy of God arrest them in their course, will lead them to the same soul-destroying errors.
God, in His great mercy, has vouchsafed abundant light in our land these many years, but it is patent to any Christian of ordinary observation that numbers of people are giving up the liberty of the truth of God for that which, while it pretends to offer a resting place for unquiet consciences, in reality fetters the soul.
The blessed Person and work of the Son of God meet all man’s need. Amidst His unmeasured sorrow on Calvary His work was gloriously finished, and now, high up above all principality and power, at the right hand of God, He sits the mighty Victor―His blessed heart unchanged―still ready, as when He trod earth’s sad scenes, to minister divine goodness to every soul in need. “Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” He still says. Hesitate not to trust Him.