THE life of Alexander, in his early days, was that of a man of the world. The love of pleasure was the result of those principles which he had imbibed from his birth. Yet (as he was wont to say himself), in the midst of all the enjoyments which he could so easily procure, he never found happiness. In vain did he strive to dissipate thought; the voice of conscience was louder than that of the world, and it left him no rest. The judgment of God and eternity were often present to his mind, and caused him the most poignant distress.
Convinced that the hour would at length arrive when he must give account of his actions to the King of kings, before whom he trembled to appear, he often resolved to change his life; but his plans of reform vanished almost as soon as they were conceived. The grace of God, which can alone renew man, had not yet reached his unregenerated heart.
Having heard of the piety of Mr. Yung Stilling, counselor at the court of the Grand Duke of Baden, he hoped to find in this respected old man the instructions that he needed to calm his conscience. He had an interview with him in 1812; but Yung, not holding clear and simple views of the Gospel, spoke to the Emperor only of the sovereignty of God, of His claims upon men, of their obligation to observe all the divine commandments; and, with this end in view, to increase their efforts to eradicate what is evil, and to practice what is good. He said not a word to him about either the great and eternal salvation which the Lord Jesus has accomplished, or of that pardon of sins which is freely granted to him that believeth. Thus their conversation yielded no comfort to the soul of Alexander. And, indeed, how could he receive consolation? There is no true peace for man but in the knowledge of His certain reconciliation to God.
Nevertheless, Alexander became more serious. From that time he was seen laboring to subdue his passions, to master the feeling of irritation which arose in his mind against those who opposed his wishes; to apply himself diligently to the reading of the Word of God, which he constantly carried about with him, and to endeavor scrupulously to fulfill the commandments it contained. But all his efforts were in vain; and, as Paul expresses it, he found no power in himself to do that which is good (Rom. 8:18).
Such was the spiritual condition of Alexander when called to leave the capital for the celebrated campaign of 1813. A lady at the court, who had some knowledge of his inward conflicts, sent him, at the moment of his departure from Riga, a copy of the 91St Psalm (“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High,” &c.), entreating him to read it frequently, and assuring him that he would find in it the consolation he needed. The Emperor took the paper in haste, put it in his pocket, and departed. He was three days without taking off his clothes, and entirely forgot what this lady had sent. Arrived on the frontiers of his dominions, he was called to hear the discourse of a bishop, who took for his text the 13th verse of this very Psalm: “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” This discourse, which was rather in the prophetic strain, fixed his attention; but his astonishment was still greater when, in the evening, on looking over his papers, he found the copy of the same Psalm. He read it with emotion, and thought he perceived, in this circumstance, a leading of Providence to induce him to reflect more seriously on the interests of his soul.
Sometime after, he heard a letter read which Madame de Krudener had written to Mdlle de Stourdza; he was struck with the unction with which Madame de Krudener spoke of the mercy of God made manifest in Jesus Christ for sinners. “There,” said he to himself, “is a person who could explain to me what is passing in my own mind.”
The campaign of 1815 commenced. Alexander, on his way to the head-quarters at Heidelberg, entered Heilbronn, Sunday, June 4. As he was approaching this city the truths contained in Madame de Krudener’s letter recurred to his recollection, and made him desirous of seeing that celebrated lady. He was not aware that she had taken up her residence in that neighborhood for three months past. Madame de Krudener, on the other hand, wishing to have an interview with Alexander, had repaired to Heilbronn. Immediately on his arrival, she presented herself in his antechamber, and handed to Prince Volkonski a letter of introduction. The Emperor, on taking the letter, asked from whom it came. “From Madame de Krudener,” replied the Prince. “From Madame de Krudener!” cried the Emperor three times; “what a providence! where is she? let her come in immediately.”
During this first interview, Madame de K. endeavored to call Alexander’s attention to the state of his heart, showing him his condition as a sinner, the evils of his past life, and the pride that had influenced him in all his plans of reformation.
“No, sire,” said she, with earnestness, “you have not yet as a criminal come to Jesus Christ for grace; you have not yet received grace from Him who alone has power on earth to forgive sins; you are still in your sins; you are not yet humbled before Jesus; you have not yet, like the publican, cried from the bottom of your heart, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ And that is the reason you have not peace. Listen to one who has also been a great sinner, but who has found the pardon of all her sins through the blood of Christ.”
There are thousands who are truly sincere as to their faith in Christ, yet have not “peace with God” (Rom. 5:1). How is this? They do not believe that the blood of Christ has cleansed them from all their sins (Col. 2:13; 1 John 2:12); or, as the Scripture expresses it, they have not faith in His blood (Rom. 3:25; 5:9; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14), and they never can have peace till they are able to join with the Apostle John in his ascription of praise, and say, Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever (Rev. 1:5).
In this strain did Madame de K. speak to her Sovereign for nearly three hours. Alexander could only utter a few broken sentences. Resting his head upon his hands, he wept abundantly. Every word that he heard was, according to the expression of Scripture, as “a two-edged sword,” piercing to the bottom of his soul and spirit, and judging the secret purposes of his heart (Heb. 4:12). At length Madame de Krudener, terrified at the state of distress into which her words had plunged Alexander, said to him, “Sire, I ask pardon for the tone in which I have spoken to you. Believe me, it is in the sincerity of my heart, and as in the sight of God, that I have told you those truths that have never yet been declared to you. I have only acquitted myself of a sacred duty towards you.” “Fear not,” replied Alexander, “all that you have said is suited to the state of my heart; you have assisted me to discover in myself some things which I never saw before, I am thankful to God; but I want conversations of this sort often, and I entreat you not to absent yourself from me.”
The next day Alexander removed to headquarters. Hardly had he arrived, when he wrote to Madame de K. to repair to him, informing her that he greatly needed to converse at large upon what had for a long time occupied his thoughts.
“You will find me,” said he, “lodged in a little house in the suburbs of the city.”
Madame de K. replied to this invitation immediately. She set off from Heilbronn with her household on the 8th of June, and arrived at Heidelberg the next day. She took for her abode a peasant’s cottage, on the left bank of the Neckar, at the foot of a hill, ten minutes’ walk from the residence of Alexander. To this humble abode Alexander, tearing himself away from his numerous avocations, used to come regularly every other day, to spend the evening and to unite in reading the Word of God, in prayer, and in familiar conversation on the eternal truths of salvation.
These conferences, which continued all the time of his stay at Heidelberg, were far from having any political object, as some journals wished to insinuate. Assembled by a special providence round a great prince, who was seeking from us that truth which alone can give peace to the conscience (Heb. 10:1, 2, 14), we should have thought it a sin against God, and a violation of the confidence which the Emperor had reposed in us, had we spent the time in conversing on the perishing things of time: and those persons of different parties, who were incessantly surrounding us, never could avail themselves of our assistance to forward any of their designs. No; when a person is impressed with the conviction that after death comes the judgment, and that the results of that judgment are of eternal duration; when he knows that he who dies out of Christ dies under condemnation; it is impossible to engage him who is thus seeking the truths of the Gospel with other subjects than those of eternal realities.