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THE STORY OF A BIBLE

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 3, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 27.

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THE STORY OF A BIBLE.

By Rev. E. Payson Hammond

A PROMINENT ecclesiastic of the Roman Catholic Church was asked by a lady of position in London, “How can I find peace of mind?” Instead of pointing her to Christ as having atoned for our sins on the cross, he bade her dismiss such unwelcome thoughts, and attend places of amusement. One day she followed a crowd into Exeter Hall, expecting to have her mind diverted from serious thoughts about the future by a musical entertainment. She was surprised when she found herself in a great religious meeting. Annoyed at this, she attempted to get out, but in doing so she knocked some umbrellas on the floor, and, somewhat abashed, took her seat. Her attention was soon riveted upon the speaker. He explained our relation to God as under law “condemned already,” and spoke of Christ’s sufferings on the cross as a perfect atoning sacrifice, and of God’s willingness for His sake to pardon us, and by His Holy Spirit to change our hearts and fit us for heaven. She was deeply moved. At the close she asked of some one near her, “Can I speak to the gentleman who has just addressed us?”
Soon after in conversation with her the speaker said, “You will find the truth I have mentioned often repeated in the Bible.”
“But I have no Bible,” she replied.
He quickly handed her his own, saying, “I have pleasure in giving you mine.”
Some time after, this Catholic dignitary, remembering the advice he had given the lady, sent a priest to inquire about her state of mind. Instead of needing help from him, he soon found that she was able to instruct him in the way of life. Before he left, she gave him the Bible that had been presented to her at Exeter Hall, and begged him to read it with prayer, and to trust alone in Him “who bore our sins in His own body on the tree.”
Some time after this she received a note from the priest, asking her to call upon him. As she was about to take her son to college, she neglected to accept the invitation at the time. When she called some weeks after, she was shown into a room where there was a coffin, and in it the body of the priest. Beside it a nun was kneeling in prayer. The lady approached and asked, “Did he leave a message for me?”
“Yes,” was the reply. “He wished me to say if you called that he died in the full faith of the Catholic Church, and that he cursed the day he ever saw you.”
The poor lady turned away greatly distressed, saying to herself, “If I had gone to his bedside when he sent for me, I might have pointed him to Christ, and he might have been saved thru faith in Him; but now, alas, it is too late. I fear that thru my negligence he is lost forever.” This reflection sorely affected her peace of mind, which she sought to restore by foreign travel.
One day a lady in Rome approached her and said, “Do you remember standing by the coffin of Father ——, and the dreadful message there delivered to you?”
“Yes, it has followed me night and day.”
“But it was not a true message. The words he bade me deliver to you were these: ‘Tell her that I bless the day I ever saw her, and that I die in the full faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. Tell her that the Bible she gave me was the means of leading me to trust alone in Him for pardon.’ And then,” added the nun, “he gave me that precious Bible, which has also been the means of leading me to see myself a lost sinner and Christ as my only Saviour. Will you forgive me for telling you that terrible falsehood?”
Dear reader, are you a Christian? If so, may the recital of these facts strengthen your faith in the promise of God, “My Word shall not return unto Me void,” and lead you with more faith and determination to assist in putting the Bible into every sinner’s hand, in the hope to lead him to Christ.
If you are not a Christian, I pray that these striking incidents may lead you to feel your need of Jesus, and that you can never have lasting peace and joy till you come as a lost soul and believe in Him. He has suffered that dreadful death on the cross in your stead, that you might be forgiven and fitted for heaven. Will you confess your sins and believe in Him? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. He is as able to save you as He was this lady, this priest, and this nun. May God help you to feel that Christ has really loved you and given Himself for you, “the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” Will you not read with prayer the story of His crucifixion and death till your heart melts in love to Him?
REV. E. PAYSON HAMMOND.