I HAVE seldom seen such an exemplification of God’s wondrous grace as in His dealings with the subject of this paper.
H―R―was apprenticed by his parents to the engine-fitting trade. From this he ran away, and enlisted in the army. His regiment was sent abroad, and after being at different places in the East, was ultimately stationed in South Africa. R―had meantime got married, aid had two or three children.
Up to this time his family had been what is called on the strength of the regiment, but owing to R―’s repeated bad conduct, they were removed, and his wife had to work to support herself and her children. R―being now alone in barracks, went from bad to worse. At last he found himself one night with two comrades in the lock-up, charged with drunkenness. They had sense enough left to concoct a plan of setting fire to the guard-house. One man had a match, another a piece of paper, and between them they managed to set light to the roof, which was thatched, and in a few minutes the building was in flames.
Now they were thoroughly frightened, for they were in danger of being burned with the house; but after being in this unenviable position for some time, they were at last brought out, hand-cuffed, and put into prison to await their trial before a court-martial.
It was while in this prison the Spirit of God first began to work in R—. He was very lonely and miserable, for he did not know whether he would be tried by a district or a general court-martial, and if by the latter, he might get a very heavy sentence of penal servitude.
While in this state, the inspecting officer on his rounds asked him one day if he had any complaints to make. He said, “No, sir, but I have to ask as a favor that you would send me a Bible.” The officer said, “Certainly, I will send one this evening.” R―said after he did not know what made him ask for a Bible, only that he knew novels were not allowed by the prison rules, and he thought he might as well ask for a Bible as anything else, just to see what was in it.
The Bible was sent that evening, and so little did he care for it that he flung it on his pallet, where it lay for the next three days, and then he took it up, and began to read, for mere diversion, the Old Testament stories. He read one after another and got interested. Then he turned to the New Testament and began to read the story of the cross. As he read that wondrous account of the One who was led as a lamb to the slaughter, the Spirit of God used the word to pierce his conscience, and for the first time he realized himself a sinner before God.
He could read no more, but flinging himself on his knees, cried out to God to be merciful to him, a sinner. He had been in this state for some days, when he received a visit from the chaplain. “He never asked me,” says R—, “even if I had a soul, never spoke to me of God, but just advised me to be a brave man, to plead guilty on my trial, and I would get off with a lighter sentence.”
Thus the chaplain left him, and as he put confidence in the man he had been accustomed to look upon as a trustworthy, spiritual guide, R―thought that if he could plead guilty at his trial, God would be pleased with him. He accordingly commenced crying to God to give him strength to plead guilty. This was his one desire. Peace for his troubled conscience was, he thought, to be his reward. A thought, dear reader, as natural as it was erroneous. But God’s thoughts are not man’s thoughts they are not according to the natural mind. They are opposed to human ideas, human wisdom, human thoughts. Peace with God is not to be obtained in the way your thoughts would suggest.
Many say, “You cannot have peace with God except you bring Him something of your own doing as payment.” So thought Cain, and thousands since, who have toiled hard, like him, to bring to God the fruit of their labor as an offering whereby they may be accepted of Him. But Abel, on the contrary, knew God’s thoughts. He knew God could have none of his works―his righteousness―his filthy rags. “By faith he offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous.”
And, dear friend, God’s word for every poor needy sinner is, “To him that WORKETH NOT but BELIEVETH on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:55But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:5)). And again, “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:11Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)).
To return to R—, when his trial came on he pleaded guilty, and, as the chaplain had told him, he got a lighter sentence in consequence. His conscience too, poor fellow, was eased, and he began to think God was pleased with him. Ah! it was but the peace Satan gives. He was dealt with falsely. “From the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying Peace, peace, when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:13, 1413For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. 14They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:13‑14)).
Dear reader, let me warn you solemnly that Satan has no greater ruse, and none more successful with souls, than the offering to them as peace that which bears a semblance to what is real, but which is utterly false. He knows well that a troubled soul will not be satisfied without something to rest on, and so he presents a foundation, which, alas, is but a foundation of sand. It is “healing the hurt slightly.” It is a “refuge of lies” (Isa. 28:1515Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: (Isaiah 28:15)). Take heed lest you discover the bad foundation you have been resting on, only when you feel it sinking beneath your feet, and you sinking with it into an eternal hell. It will then be too late to alter your future. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still.”
I beseech you earnestly then, dear reader, if you think yourself safe for eternity, to ask yourself what is your ground for so thinking. Is it Christ? Be assured if you are not resting on Him, the “sure foundation,” you are utterly unsaved. The peace which Christ has made by the blood of His cross is the only true peace. “He is our peace,” says the apostle. Say, dear friend, is He yours?
If you cannot, before God, say “Yes,” I entreat you deceive not yourself by resting on anything short of Him. There is NO PEACE, apart from Him, NO FOUNDATION for the soul for eternity but Him. Good works apart from Christ are useless. Religion without Christ will not avail; a blameless life, outward morality, kindness to the poor, almsgiving, even though you “give your body to be burned”―any or all of these things, will yet be proved to be no foundation at all.
Christ, and Christ alone, is God’s “sure foundation.” “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” “He that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” But all else will assuredly prove as a “bed that is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it,” and as a “covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it” (Isa. 28:2020For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it. (Isaiah 28:20)).
H―R―was just in this case, but, blessed be God, He would not allow this straying sheep to go on thus. His regiment was ordered home from South Africa, and on arriving was stationed in the town of N―. Here, too, I had been sent some months previous. R―had by this time been released, after having undergone twelve out of eighteen months’ imprisonment. One day he came across one of the Lord’s dear people in the town, who spoke to him about his soul, and brought him to the gospel meeting.
I noticed how attentive he was, and being interested in his case from what I had already heard from the one who brought him to the meeting, I went up and spoke to him after it was over.
“Ah, sir,” he said, “I thought I was all right, but since I came to N―I have found out I am all wrong, and now I am very miserable, and more so than ever after hearing these words in the hymn tonight: ―
‘Our God in pity lingers still,
And wilt thou thus His love requite?’”
I saw with thankfulness God was working in him, and I endeavored to explain how God had given His Son in full and perfect love, to meet him in all his need, and save him out of all its solemn consequences. He did not get peace then, but left, promising to come and see me.
I could but cry to God for him, but I felt sure that since he knew himself a sinner, he would very soon be brought to know Jesus as his Saviour. Nor were my expectations disappointed. In this case, as in how many others, God was beyond my utmost hopes. Ah, He would have His own heart’s joy over the repenting sinner.
Who can know it―the joy of God in the presence of His angels, over the bringing back of one stray sheep?
R―came to my house at the appointed time, and never, I may say, did I spend such an evening. It was like pouring water on dry and parched ground, that wanted it so badly, you would think it could never get enough. When the dear fellow came in he said, “Sir, I want to enlist for Jesus. Will you pray for me?”
We prayed together, and then after telling me his history as I have here recorded it, I put before him, as God enabled me, how utterly helpless he was to do anything to save himself, but how God was a God of such wondrous love to the poor sinner, that when He knew our helpless condition as “ready to perish,” He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. That Blessed One came, and shed His precious blood, which God says cleanseth from all sin, and thus God is free to act in love, and in righteousness too, in saving the sinner.
Even as I spoke God blessed the word, and R―received it as a little child. He was too needy to raise any questions or doubts. He saw how exactly suited the salvation of God was to the need of a sinner like him. He believed on Jesus, and believing was “by him justified from all things,” and passed “from death unto life.” We knelt down and thanked God together for His goodness, and dear R―went that night like the eunuch of old on his way rejoicing.
“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!”