IT was twelve o’clock on a Saturday night, and a meeting was being held in a Methodist chapel, with the object of catching some who would never think of going to a gospel service at ordinary times.
Two drunken men stumbled in. One of them began to interrupt the preacher, making it difficult for him to proceed. So he gave out the hymn beginning,
“Where is my wandering boy tonight,
The boy of my tend’rest care?”
This so affected the disturber that he was quite broken down. The arrow of conviction pierced his conscience, not for the first time, for he was a child of many prayers, and the Holy Spirit had often shown him the evil of his ways. Let him tell it in his own words.
“As they sang that hymn I thought of the love and care of my parents. I thought how I had sinned against God. Was it possible for me to be saved, when I had spurned the gospel so many times? I fell on my knees crying for mercy in deep conviction of sin.
“Some of the Christians spoke to me, and led me home, staying until two or three in the morning. I continued in deep distress for several days. Satan was not going to let his captive go without a struggle, for as the Holy Spirit showed me what a sinner I had been, he tried to make me believe I was too bad to be saved.
“At last I was brought to despair, and went on my knees, asking God to show me how I could be saved. A short time before, at my father’s funeral, this text had been spoken from, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness’ (Rom. 4:33For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. (Romans 4:3)). The words now came in living power to my soul, and I saw that all I had to believe was that god had delivered His own Son to die on the Cross for my sins, and had raised Him again for my justification, and to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my own personal Saviour. What a happy day that was for me. I saw that God had not passed over my sins, but had executed His righteous judgment upon them in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“This brought peace to my heart, my guilty conscience was cleared, and I could sing for joy.
“Two weeks afterwards my wife accepted Christ as her own personal Saviour. Her life had been a very different one to mine, good and moral, and she had been confirmed in church by the bishop, yet she needed to be born again.
“Three or four years have passed since then, and I have proved that the Lord not only saves, but keeps and cares for me. I have passed through much affliction, but His grace has been sufficient, never leaving nor forsaking me.
“Nine months after my conversion I began to be exercised about money, which I had stolen from and owed to public-houses. After prayer for guidance I went round the various places where so much of my time had been spent in drinking, and paid off all that was owing.
“I was not doing this in order to get saved, but because the Lord had done so much for me, and I knew it to be His will that I should walk honestly through this world. It was no hard struggle to please Him. When any difficulty came, I just went into my own room and asked the Lord for grace and strength to do His will, and according to His promise it was given.”
Dear friend, if you do not know this blessed Saviour, let me direct you to Him. None are too good not to need salvation, for God says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:2222Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Romans 3:22)); and none are too bad. Hear the words of our blessed Lord, “Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)).
B. J. B.