An Extract.
THE instant we rose from the table, as before observed, there crossed the court-yard of the inn opposite to the room where we were sitting a Jew, as he appeared to be, with a basket of pens. My friend seeing him, hastily ran to the door, to inquire of him whether he knew a man of the name of Abraham Levi, one of their people. “Yes,” he said, “I know him very well; but he is not one of my people.” “How is that?” replied my friend; “are not you a Jew?” “No,” the poor man said, “I thank the Lord, I am not! I was once, indeed; but I trust I am now a lover of the Lord Jesus.” The effect wrought on my mind by this short conversation was like that of electricity. “Pray, my friend, do us the favor,” continued my companion, “to walk into this room. We are both lovers and humble followers like yourself, if you are so, of the Lord Jesus, and we shall much rejoice if you will communicate to us the pleasing information how this change was wrought.” “That I will most readily,” replied the man; “for if it will afford you pleasure to hear, much more will it delight me to relate, a change to which I owe such unspeakable mercies.”
“Without going over the whole of my history from my childhood,” he said, “which hath very little interest in it, and is unconnected with the circumstances of my conversion, it will be sufficient to begin at that part which alone is worth your hearing. It is about two years since that I first began to feel my mind much exercised with considerations on the deplorable state of our people. I discovered, from reading the Scriptures, the ancient love of God to our nation. In our history, as a people, I saw the many wonderful and distinguishing mercies with which from age to age the Lord had blessed us. I remarked also how, for the disobedience and ingratitude of our people, the Lord had punished us; but what struck me most forcibly was that prophecy of Scripture, ‘That the scepter should not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until the Shiloh should come’ (Genesis 49:1010The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. (Genesis 49:10)); whereas I saw very plainly that our nation was without a scepter, without government, without temple. I remarked, moreover, that our people were a light, vain, and worldly-minded people, who took it not to heart; and if the Lord had punished our fathers for their sins, ours deserved His displeasure more. Added to all these considerations, which very powerfully operated upon my mind, I saw a great mass of people living around me who professed themselves to be followers of the true God, and who asserted, in confirmation of their faith, the Shiloh was come, and that to him was the gathering of the people. Distressed and perplexed in my mind, by reason of these various considerations, I knew not what to do, and could hardly find power or inclination to prosecute my daily labor.
“It happened one day, while walking over the bridge of the city, that, my mind being more than usually affected, I could not refrain from pouring out my heart in prayer to God. I paused as I stood on the bridge, and lifting up my eyes towards heaven, I cried out, ‘O God of my fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who hast declared thyself as keeping covenant mercy for thousands, look down upon me, a poor Jew! vouchsafe to teach me what I must do! Thou knowest, my desire is to serve thee, if I knew the way! Thou art greatly displeased with our nation and with our people, for we have broken thy commandments. But, O Lord, direct me!’
“It was with words something like these,” continued the poor man, “that I prayed; in which I wept much. At length, I walked on; and passing by a (so-called) place of worship, where I saw many assembled, I found my heart inclined to go in. Who knows, I thought within myself, but the Lord may have directed me hither! I went in, and near the door finding a seat unoccupied, I entered into it, and sat down. The minister was discoursing on the mercies of God in sending His Son to be the Saviour of the world. If this Saviour were my Saviour, thought I, how happy should I be! I felt myself considerably affected, and frequently turned my face to the wall and wept; and many times, during the continuance of the discourse, so much was my heart interested by what I heard, that I wept aloud, and could not refrain.
“I had disturbed some of the congregation, it appeared, by my behavior; so that as soon as the service was finished, two or three of the men came toward me with much anger, asking me what I meant by coming there to interrupt the worship with my drunkenness; but when they discovered the real state of the case, and I had told them the whole desires of my mind, they almost devoured me with kindness. This served very much also, under God, to convince me that their religion must be the true religion, which produced such effects.
“Not to fatigue you with my relation, it will be sufficient to observe, that from that hour my mind began to discover hope; and as the kind people into whose congregation I had thus entered undertook to instruct me in the principles of the Christian faith, I soon learned under God.
“One little event more,” he added. “After this my business of selling pens obliged me to go to another city, about twelve miles distant from the one where I dwelt; and calling at a pastry-cook’s shop, who occasionally dealt with me, a circumstance occurred which became highly serviceable to me in my new path of life. There sat in the shop a venerable gentleman dressed in black, the mistress of the house stood behind the counter, and I was just within the door. A poor beggar, looking miserably ill, came in for a tart.
‘Ah! John,’ cried the old gentleman. ‘What, have you left the infirmary? Is your disorder declared to be incurable?’ ‘Yes, sir,’ replied the poor man; ‘they say they can do nothing for me.’ ‘Well, John,’ answered the old gentleman, ‘there is one Physician more which I would have you try; and He never fails to cure, and He doeth it also without money and without price.’ The poor man’s countenance brightened at this, and he said, ‘Who is He?” ‘It is the Lord Jesus Christ,’ said the gentleman. ‘Pray go to Him, John, and if he be pleased to heal your body, it will be a blessed recovery for you indeed; and if not, He can and will heal your soul!’ The poor man did not relish the advice; for he went away looking angrily. As for me, I cried out (for I could not refrain), ‘May the Lord bless you, sir, for what you have said in your recommendations of my Master and Saviour! He is, indeed, all you have described Him; for He hath cured both my body and soul.’ Astonished at what I said, the gentleman expressed his surprise in observing, ‘I thought you were a Jew!’ ‘I was, sir,’ I answered, ‘once; but by grace I am now a Christian.’ He caught me by the hand, and entreated me to go with him to his house, when I related to him, as I have to you, the means, under God, of my conversion; and when I had finished my story, at his request, we dropped on our knees in prayer; and oh, sirs, the fervor and earnestness with which he prayed, and the thanksgivings which he expressed for the Lord’s mercy to my soul, never shall I forget! The recollection even at this distance continues to warm my heart...”
The poor man took his leave, after mutual wishes and prayers for our spiritual welfare; and the night being now advanced, after reading the Scriptures and prayer, we departed each to his chamber.