"JOHN," I said to an old man I had employed to work in my garden, “do you think are you ready to meet your God?”
“I fear not, sir," was the reply, as he leaned his hand upon his spade, and wiped his brow.
“I know I must be born again, and I am afraid I cannot say I have been so.”
“Well now, John, "I answered," I am sure you are not one of those that think they can do anything towards being born again; that they can by works, or prayers, or sorrow, qualify themselves for the new birth that they know they require.”
“Oh no, sir, “said he," I am not so ignorant as that. I have read my Bible, and I know that the carnal mind is enmity against God, that it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, and that they that are in the flesh cannot please God; though I am a poor man now, sir, I once had a comfortable farm, and received in my time a very good education.”
“Well, John, I am very glad you see what you say you do, that man by nature is so radically bad that he can produce nothing that God can receive, and that, therefore, it is absolutely impossible that he can do anything towards being born again. And now, John, can you tell me how a man must be born again? for we know that unless he is so, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God " (John 3:55Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)). JOH 3:55Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)
“Well, sir, I fear I must ask you to explain it to me, for that is just the point I have often longed to know, and to which I have never yet attained.”
"Well, John, I will tell you as simply and plainly as I can," and I opened my Bible at John 3:14, 1514And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:14‑15), " JOH 3:14-1514And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:14‑15) and that in the words of Scripture: 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'
Now, here you have the love of God, the work of Christ, the sinner's faith, and the result attained to. God loved the world, and proved His love by the gift of His only begotten Son.
Christ, as Son of Man in men's place, was lifted up upon the cross. He thus becomes the object of faith to the universe, and the promised blessing is to ' whosoever,' anybody. The moment we believe on Him we possess eternal life, or, in other words, are born again.”
“Went sir, “said John," I certainly never saw it so plain before; I had thought there was far more in it than that," and he seemed to look brighter as he spoke.
"No," said I, “there is no more than what I say, and the comparison the Lord uses makes it still more plain. You remember in Num. 21 NUM 21 how, because of the people's sin, the Lord sent serpents to bite them, and many died of their wounds; and when they cried to the Lord, He told Moses to set a serpent of brass on a pole, and that whoever looked at it, his bites would be healed; and now, just in the same way, those who are under God's wrath on account of their sins, have but to turn the eye to Christ, to believe on Him, and their judgment is at once removed, and they receive the gift of eternal life, that ' heavenly thing ' to which the Lord alludes (v. 12); that new existence; that life in resurrection that completely takes the recipient of it beyond the reach of death, and brings him into the heavenly kingdom, the kingdom of God.”
“Well, sir, I think I understand it now,”
said John; " I am very much obliged to you I did not speak to him again for some days, preferring to wait and see whether it was really the work of God in his soul, or the natural joy that only too often the strains of grace produce; but when I did so, I could have no doubt the Lord had sealed him for His own, and from that moment he grew steadily in the things of God, and presently desired to be associated with the Lord's people in the remembrance of Him who died for them. He took his place amongst us, and seemed very happy in the Lord, and fully to enter into and enjoy worship "in spirit and in truth.”
But ere long his health broke down. An asthmatic affection seized him, and it became evident that he was not long for this world. I scarcely remember anything more enjoyable than my visits to him, for he could not face the sharp spring winds. To seek in any way to minister to him was out of place and undesirable.
I used to sit and listen to him worshipping the Lord. His frame was wretchedly emaciated; but it seemed as if, while the body became weaker, the Holy Ghost, who had come to dwell therein, had fuller liberty, and made his unutterable groanings (Rom. 8), ROM 8 by anticipation, change almost to songs of praise.
His constant theme was CHRIST, and he seemed to have the Person of the Lord most vividly before him. “Oh! the brightness of Christ! "he would say;" Oh! the brightness of Christ!”
One could almost have said he beheld literally "the glory of the Lord," from the sense he seemed to have of His beauty. He suffered much, but nothing dimmed his joy from first to last, and one morning as he lay upon his bed, he just turned to his son, who was sitting by the fire, and said gently, "fames, remember the Lord," and then passed to his rest without a struggle.
We shall meet again; but meanwhile I rejoice to think of one whom I still sometimes think I can hear saying, “Oh! the brightness of Christ!”
Dear reader, can you join your voice to his, and say, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him, against that day "?
D. T. G.