Part 2.
THE next morning our friend was early at the place where the boat stood waiting on the old man; who for the past twenty-four hours, had hardly been out of his thoughts. He appeared punctually as before but what had happened?
A visible change had come over him—the expression of his face, his whole bearing—all was changed. As he approached the boat, the police officer kindly wished him “Good morning!” and then asked:
“Have you read John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)?” “yes, I found the place. I really, did not know it was in my Bible, though I have read it through often. But he went on with a deeper earnestness in his words, “you don’t mean to say that I am included in that passage? I—a man who have spent fifty years in prison?”
The heart of our friend beat high for joy as he heard these words. Such an immediate answer to his prayer he had not expected.
With great earnestness he replied, “Yes, my friend, you—exactly you are meant. The Bible, you know, is God’s word, and God always means what He says. You belong to the world of sinners, do you not? And God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth, on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Whosoever—do you understand clearly?” The old man stood up in the boat, and stretching out his arms, cried,
“Sir, you might have burned my fingers by inches, you might have cut off my hands, I would not have bowed; but this love, such love, breaks my heart!” He sank down on one of the seats, and sobbed like a child. The police officer silently looked at him. His heart was running over with gratitude and praise to God. He had prayed the Lord to save the soul of this poor, embittered man; but that he himself, and so soon, should be an eye witness of it; went far beyond his expectation. After a while, the old man raised his head again, and said, as the tears were still streaming down his cheeks, “O, if you knew my past life, it would not make you wonder that this wonderful love has broken my heart. Since the death of my mother, I have never known what love was. I was then only five years old; but my father chased me, out of the house telling me I was to take care of myself, he had fed me long enough, and since then I have been kicked about the world, the hand of everyone against me. At first I begged; but as I grew older, that did not succeed, and I began to steal. Fifty years of my life, I have spent in prison. From that, you can guess.
I have never been out king at a time. Only one man in all the world, as I told you yesterday, besides yourself, has acted kindly towards me, and he was the governor of a prison. During the times when I was free, I often worked with gardeners and thus gained a fair knowledge of gardening. That governor heard this one clay, and gave over his garden to my care.
“I shall trust you with my garden” he said, “I wish you to plant it and look after it. If you have not enough seeds, just order what you need. If you do not know what to do, or what to sow, just ask me, and I shall give you instructions.”
“Do you think, sir, I would have allowed the tiniest weed to come up in his garden? No, never! How thankful I was for his confidence! I may say truly, that I deserved it. Others were envious of me, and tried to get me out of the place. They said to the governor, that I was dirty and loafed around, instead of working. But he answered them, that they should let me quietly alone; and to me he said his garden had never looked so nice as under my care. But the time went rapidly —too rapidly. I was soon sent elsewhere. Since this no other man has spoken to me a friendly word, till you came yesterday.”
“About ten years ago, I was convicted of setting fire to a country house. The policeman of the village witnessed against me, and said much more than what was true. So I was condemned, and when you spoke to me yesterday I had dark murder-thoughts in my heart. But, sir, I will not murder the man now. God in His great and wonderful love, has stepped into my path.”
Our friend was deeply moved. God, who is love, and who knows the end from the beginning, had sent him a message from His eternal, unchangeable word to give to the poor prisoner, the Holy Spirit had blessed the message and had convinced him of his sins and of his lost condition; and now he sat there, as once sat the man of Gadara, clothed and in his right mind at the feet of Jesus.
He longed thereafter to know more of the love of God revealed in Christ and as his new friend pointed out other passages to him, he scratched the chapters and verses on the side of the boat with his knife, in order to impress them in his mind and when his work was over for the day, he delighted to search them out in his lonely cell in the Book which was now so dear to him.
For some days our friend waited every morning at the harbor bank for the old prisoner. But one day, his hopes were disappointed. The old man came no more; another prisoner had been entrusted with the care of the boat. When after some time he made inquiries, he understood that the old man in the meantime had been set free, as his term of imprisonment had been completed.
Since then many years have gone. The old prisoner is not now among the living. The police official, however, is well known to the writer of these lines, and although he is no longer in police service, and wears no uniform, yet he has not left the service of the King of Kings, but considers it still the greatest joy of his life to win souls for Christ.
ML 01/21/1912