The Man with the Book; or, The Bible Among the People.Weylland, John Matthias
History
The Man with the Book; or, The Bible Among the People.
Weylland, John Matthias
City missions; London City Mission
"That's it," replied the ex-champion. "They say that it's worth a
hundred guineas. A gent that's dead and gone bet two thousand upon me
when I beat the Slasher; and in the morning he came to 'cossit' me, as
he said, and brought me this."
"It's the jewel that's worth the money," said the visitor. "Why, the
gold of the ring would not fetch three pounds." All assented to this.
And he continued. "Well, it's just so with these tracts you have been
throwing about: as bits of paper they cost little or nothing, and are
not worth your acceptance; but they are all studded with a jewel--the
pearl of great price:" and then raising his voice to a clear ringing
pitch, he exclaimed, "The name of the Lord Jesus, by whom alone each man
in this room can be saved, is upon them,--He is the gem. None other name
is given by which you can obtain mercy." And then placing some tracts
upon the table, he left the room with a firm tread. The men were so
interested and surprised that scarcely a word was spoken. A few days
after, the potman told the distributor that the pugilists did not
destroy a tract or leave one behind.
More than two years after this event the Missionary was standing one
morning at the bar, in conversation with the landlady, when he noticed,
the parlour door being open, a very aged man seated with a glass of
sherry before him. His beard, which was very long, and his few remaining
hairs were as white as the driven snow: and as he leaned upon his
gold-headed cane he looked beautiful,--he had indeed that rich beauty of
age which in its day is more lovely than the bloom of youth. The visitor
approached politely, and asked his acceptance of a little book. He
received it with a smile, and entered freely into conversation, which
ended in the following way: "And now, sir, may I put the question to you
which one of the Pharaohs put to an aged man who was led up to the
throne by his son?"
"Certainly."
"'How old art thou?'"
"Just turned eighty-four."
"An honourable age. But your answer is not so full as that which good
old Jacob gave. He told the King that 'the days of the years of his
pilgrimage were an hundred and thirty years;' and added, 'Few and evil
have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto
the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their
pilgrimage.' He spoke of life as short, for upon looking back time
appeared to have passed quickly; he spoke of his days as 'evil,' for he
had had his share of care and sorrows: but, best of all, he confessed to
the heathen King that he was but a stranger and pilgrim upon the earth,
and so acknowledged his belief in, and his hope of, enduring rest in the
better country. I trust that you have like precious faith, and the
assurance that you are near the prepared mansions,--the city of
habitation whose Builder and Maker is God?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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