So great was the desire of Alexander to grow in the knowledge of the truth that he was always the first to point out some parts of the sacred books that might form the subject of our conversation; and the reflections which he made showed that he was enlightened by the Holy Spirit.
The first time that I was introduced to him, after a few minutes’ conversation, in which he spoke of the evils of his past life with a deep feeling of grief, I took the liberty to put this question to him: “Sire, have you now peace with God? Are you assured of the pardon of your sins?” He was for a moment silent, as if he were interrogating himself, and fearing he might deceive himself: then, as if a veil had been lifted from before his face, he looked up towards heaven with an animated and peaceful look, and exclaimed, with a voice both firm and full of feeling, “I am happy―yes, I am happy.... I have peace―peace with God.... I am a great sinner, but since Madame (meaning Madame de K.) has shown me that Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost, I know, I believe, that my sins are forgiven. The Word of God says, He that believeth on the Son of God, on God the Saviour, is passed from death unto life, and shall never come into condemnation. I believe―yes, I have faith.... Whosoever believeth on the Son hath eternal life ... But I stand in need of conversation; I want to speak of what is passing within me, and to get counsel. I ought to be surrounded with those who may help me to walk in the path of the Christian, to raise me above that which is earthly, and to fill my heart with the things of heaven.”
This conversation, of which I cannot now relate further particulars, showed me that Alexander had obtained the precious gift of faith, of that strong yet simple faith which is based upon nothing but the Word of God, and which, inasmuch as it is a persuasion which God alone gives, rises above the petty reasonings of men.
He often recurred, in conversation, to the benefits we derive from the reading of the Bible, when we read it with a spirit of humility. One evening he told us that God had long since given him a relish for this reading, and a great inclination for prayer; that every day, whatever might have been his occupations, he was accustomed to read three chapters—one in the prophets, one in the gospels, and one in the epistles. Even during the war, and while the cannon was thundering round his tent, he never suffered himself to forget his devotions. He added, that during the time he was being drawn towards the things of God, he used to exert himself to the utmost to conform his life to that which the Holy Scriptures direct, and to separate himself from that which they forbid; but that he had never been able to eradicate a single sin from his heart; but that now he felt the power of the grace and spirit of Jesus, who alone can give us power to practice what He enjoins; that, in short, he experienced a calm and a peace which attended him through all the circumstances of his life.
One day I was speaking to him of the efficacy of the prayer of the believer who approaches his heavenly Father with the full assurance of being heard. I mentioned to him, on this occasion, several instances in which prayer had been answered in a wonderful manner. He then said to me, “And I can assure you that, having often been in very awkward situations (that was his expression), I have always been delivered out of them by prayer. I will tell you a circumstance, which would astonish the world if it were known. It is this: in my conferences with my ministers, who are very far from possessing my principles, when they are of a contrary opinion from myself, instead of arguing with them, I am accustomed to pray internally, and I perceive them, little by little, inclining to the feelings of charity and justice I wish.’
At another time, I was speaking to him of the necessity of walking by faith, pointing out to him that this faith must rest only on the Word of God, which is an immovable foundation; that thus Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. “Oh, yes!” said he to me, “we must have that simple and lively faith which looks only to the Lord, which hopes even against all hope; but it needs courage to sacrifice the Isaac. That is what I want; beg of God that He would give me strength to sacrifice everything, in order to follow Jesus Christ, and to confess Him openly before men.” At his request we prayed together, asking God for this blessing. The prayer having been made kneeling, he rose, his eyes bathed in tears, and his countenance beaming with that subdued joy which the knowledge of the peace of God and the sense of His love produce. He took my hand, and said to me, “Oh, how I feel the force of that brotherly love which unites the disciples of Christ together! Yes, your prayer will be heard; it will be given to me from above publicly to confess my God and Saviour.”
While he was at Heidelberg, the part of the Scriptures which he was reading was the Psalms.
On the 19th June (Monday), the Psalm which he read was the 35th: “Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive against me,” &c. In the evening he told us that this Psalm had dispersed all the apprehensions which he had felt, and that he was convinced he was acting in conformity to the will of God.
He handed me his Bible, and begged me to read this Psalm to him. While I was reading, he stated to me the different circumstances of his life which had relation to it. When I read those words, “They rewarded me evil for good, to the spoiling of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sack-cloth: I humbled my soul with fasting,” &c., “I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother,” &c., he said to me, “I do not cease to pray for my enemies, and I feel that I can love them as the Gospel commands me to do.” And when I came to these words, “Stir up thyself, O God my Lord, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause,” &c., he said, “God will do it, I am fully convinced; this cause is His, since it has respect to the welfare of the nations. Oh, that God would grant me the favor of procuring peace for Europe! I am ready to sacrifice my life for this object.”
The next day we learned the success of the French over the allied armies. Alexander saw those around him filled with fear, bordering upon despondency; as to himself, full of confidence in the divine protection, he called upon the Saviour, and asked of Him the spirit of counsel and might. After fervent prayer, he took the Bible, and read the 37th Psalm, “Fret not thyself because of evil doers,” &c.
Strengthened by the divine promise thus brought under his review, he repaired to his coadjutors, and exhorted them to take courage and march against the enemy, sure of obtaining the victory. On relating to us this fact, he said, “I should have wished you to see the expression which my countenance bore; you would have seen how I was supported from above, and what peace I had in my soul in the midst of all these frightened persons.”
When I entered the room where we used ordinarily to meet together, on the day in which he heard of the success of the allied armies, he came up to me with an expression of lively joy, took me by the hand, and said, “Ah, my dear friend, today we ought to return thanks to the Lord for the blessings and for the protection He has vouchsafed us.” He himself fell first on his knees, shedding many tears of gratitude at the feet of God, his Deliverer. Risen from prayer, he cried out, “Oh, how happy I am! my Saviour is with me! I am a great sinner, and yet He is pleased to make use of me to procure peace for the nations. Oh, that all these people would understand the ways of Providence! If they would obey the Gospel, how happy would they be! “He pronounced these last words with the tone of that true charity which can proceed only from a heart regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Not long after he said, “Oh, how I should rejoice to see my brother Constantine converted! I love him much, and feel great grief while thinking of him as yet in the darkness of sin. I bear him upon my heart, and shall not cease to pray to the Almighty until He is pleased to open his eyes.”
When Alexander was obliged to enter France, he entreated us to follow him. For this purpose he gave us general passports, and then left Heidelberg, on the 25th of June, having taken leave of us the night before.
We remained a little longer in the dukedom of Baden, waiting till the roads were free, and could not leave before the 8th of July. We took the circuitous route of the couriers, in order to avoid the places still occupied by Napoleon’s troops. After a very painful journey across devastated provinces and burned villages, which were still smoking, we arrived in Paris on the 14th.
The day after our arrival, Madame de K. hastened to present her respects to her Sovereign. She had the satisfaction of finding him more established in the ways of salvation. He invited her to come and reside near him, “because,” said he, “I wish to continue here, in the midst of the world, the meetings which we have commenced at Heidelberg.”
Alexander had taken a lodging in the Elysee Bourbon, the garden of which reached to the Champs Elysees. M. de K., in compliance with the Emperor’s invitation, took up her residence near that quarter, in Montchenu’s Hotel, which communicated, by means of the garden, with this promenade. Alexander passed by these gardens in his way to Madame de K.’s; and during his stay in Paris, he continued these interviews every alternate evening.
The situation of Alexander was very delicate; all eyes were fixed on him, and all his proceedings were scrutinized: He was not ignorant that in abandoning the party of the infidels, who up to this time had boasted of him as one of their scholars, he would become the object of their reproach and sarcasms; but nothing could shake his faith. Instructed by the Word of God, he knew that all who will live godly in Christ Jesus, of whatever rank they may be, must suffer persecution. The Gospel, by the power of God, had penetrated to his heart; he felt that it was his duty openly to confess Jesus his Saviour, and that he could not do it more solemnly than by acknowledging the disciples of Christ in the midst of the very metropolis of all that is worldly; and no considerations of human prudence could stop him in his course. Yet he had no presumption; he knew his own heart; he distrusted his own strength; he used to say to us, “Pray for me; pray not that I may be preserved from the evil that men can do me; I have no fear on that account; I am in the hands of God; but pray the Almighty to guard me against the evil influence of my residence here. To this moment, by the protection of God, I have resisted its seductions; but man is so weak that, if he be not sustained by the grace of God, he will fall under the temptations to which he is, on all sides, exposed. I feel that I need to fly from the world; for that reason I have chosen a retired dwelling. In my present residence I enjoy much quiet; I see and hear nothing which distracts me from my duties; I labor―I read the Word of God―I hold communion with my God in prayer; and I see His kind and merciful protection in everything which happens to me, and in everything from which He keeps me.”
His second entry into Paris, without having caused bloodshed, made him sensible of the divine protection that was over him. Moreover, his confidence in his God did not permit him to put himself under any other protection; he carefully banished from his dwelling the pompous pageantry with which monarchs love to surround themselves. “Humanly speaking,” he said to Madame de K., “I could not have hoped for victory in less than six months; and I have entered Paris in eighteen days after leaving Heidelberg, with the loss of only forty men. That is too great a sacrifice, considering the value of human life; but without the divine protection I might have lost a greater number, and I might myself have perished under the assaults and artifices of my enemy. He that trusteth in God shall not be confounded.”
Persons acquainted with the details of Alexander’s life cannot fail to recognize the power of the hand of God, which watched over him and preserved him from the greatest dangers. Many remarkable facts upon this point are known. To notice one, which is known but to very few; one evening, on entering Madame de K.’s drawing-room, Alexander said, “Well! they were going to poison me today.” “How, sire,” exclaimed Madame de K.; “what do you say? explain yourself, I beseech you!” “Yes, there was in my office, among the bottles used at my table, a bottle of poisoned wine, but no discovery can be made how it came into my house. My cook, intending to ascertain whether the wine was such as I drink, opened this bottle and drank a little. He would have died if prompt assistance had not been rendered.... And see this letter which I have just received”.... We read a horrible menace of assassination addressed to him, because he had not exerted himself to place the king of Rome on the throne of France: this letter was signed, “The Chief of the Regicides.” We were seized with terror. Alexander said to us, “Be calm, God is in it; God is in it; He keeps me, I have no fear; the eternal God is with me; I will not fear what man can do unto me.”
The sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit, who inspires believers with a true spirit of forgiveness of injuries, might also easily be recognized in him. All his conduct, during his residence at Paris, was a proof of it. One day he was informed that several Prussian officer had manifested a disposition to be revenged on the French. Alexander assembled them in his presence, spoke to them with affability, as his companions in arms, endeavored to soothe them, and to inspire them with gentler feelings; and, when he perceived them to be a little softened, he said to them, “You bear the name of Christians―you to revenge yourselves―is it Christians that hold such language’ Ah! do not imitate those who have behaved so ill towards you. Set them an example of forgiveness; it is thus that a Christian revenges himself.” These words produced such an effect upon these officers that he had the happiness of leaving them under feelings of a most pacific kind.
On another occasion, Madame de K. expressed to him how rejoiced she was to find that he had treated with generosity, and at a complete sacrifice of personal interest, a person who had done him great wrong. “Madame,” said he, “I am a disciple of Christ; I walk with the Gospel in my hand; I know nothing but that; and I think that, when any one would constrain me to go a mile, I should go two; and, when any one would take my coat, I ought to give my cloak also.”
That charity which filled his heart, springing from lively faith in Jesus, led him not only to pardon those who had offended him, but even to humble himself before those to whom he thought he had given pain.
I will give one example, which will show that when he was acting in obedience to so blessed a precept of the Gospel he did not suffer himself to be restrained by the greatest difference of rank.
When he went to Madame de K.’s, he was usually accompanied by a valet of Prince Volkonski, a confidential servant, whose name was Joseph. One evening, as they were entering together the anteroom of Madame de K.’s apartment, the Emperor, addressing himself to Joseph, said, “Have you executed my commission?” “Sire,” answered Joseph, in a manner expressive of shame, “I forgot it.” “When I give you an order,” replied Alexander, in rather a hasty tone, “I expect that it will be punctually executed.” Saying these words he entered the room. Madame de K. went to meet him, and asked him of his health; but, feeling himself internally rebuked by the Spirit of God for his sharpness, he replied only by broken expressions: “Well―Madame―well―yes―very well.” Madame de K., who remarked the disquietude of her Sovereign, said to him, “Sire, what is the matter? you are vexed at something.” “It is nothing, Madame, it is nothing—excuse me—wait a moment—I will return.” Alexander went out, and accosted Joseph in a condescending tone— “Joseph, pardon me, I was harsh; I was unkind to you”... “But, sire!”.... “I entreat you, pardon me.” Joseph did not venture a reply. Alexander seized his hand. “Tell me that you forgive me.” “Yes, sire.” “I thank you.”
Having obeyed the warning which he had received in his own heart., Alexander soon recovered his peace of mind. He entered the room again, with a countenance on which was depicted the joy of a good conscience. “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:1616Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (Matthew 7:16)).