Your ShelfYour Projects

THE POWER OF THE WORD

9%

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 17, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 7.

Read the full edition

THE POWER OF THE WORD.

AN evangelist, who traveled at one time in the interests of missions in India, attended one evening a prayer-meeting connected with a mission station at Ahmednuggur. He noticed near him a very strange-looking man, with hands deeply scarred, and across his skull were deep furrows. At the close of the meeting this man was introduced to our revered friend, and the latter will never forget the sensation which he experienced as he held the deeply-scarred hand in his and could feel the scars.
Our friend was told the man's history. Earlier in life this man belonged to an organized band of murderers, and lived in a great, dense gloom of heathen wickedness and superstition. One night he strayed into the mission chapel, attracted by the lights and the sweet notes of sacred song. He listened as the missionary told in clear simple language "the old, old story" of Christ's love. At the close of the meeting he waited to speak to the missionary.
"This Man that you told us about can save from sin?" he asked.
"Yes," was the answer, using the words of the Book, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin."
"Can He save from the sin of one murder?" asked the man.
"Tho your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow," said the missionary, still quoting from the Book.
"Can He save from the sin of two murders?" was the next question.
Again the missionary replied, "Tho your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."
The question was again and again repeated until the specified number of murders was a large one, and with a sense of his own helplessness, the missionary again and again replied in those strong words of Sacred Writ, "Tho your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."
Deeply stained with sin as was this man, his skull furrowed and his hands scarred by the dreadful wounds received in fearful encounters with his victims, yet he received the word, and deeply repenting of the past, accepted this gift of a Saviour, and became a humble and sincere follower of the Lamb. Is not this a striking instance of the power of the Gospel of Christ "unto salvation," and shall we withhold a Gospel which is capable of working such changes in the human heart and character? Who can say what we might have been had we never heard the gracious truths of the Gospel—The Presbyterian.