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He had been given up by some as a hopeless case. One man, however, prayed for him until he prevailed, and the infidel was saved. A revival was in progress, and in the midst of a melting meet mg he arose and to the surprise of many, "with face shining as did the face of Moses when he saw God," he gave the following striking and suggestive testimony:
"I stand," said Mr. R----, "to tell you the story of my conversion." His lips trembled slightly as he spoke, and his bosom heaved with suppressed emotion. "I am as a brand plucked out of the burning. The change in me is an astonishment to myself; and all brought about by the grace of God, and that unanswerable argument. It was a cold morning in January, and I had just begun my labor at the anvil in my shop, when I looked out and saw Mr. B---- approaching. He dismounted quickly and entered. As he drew near I saw he was agitated. His look was full of earnestness; his eyes were dimmed with tears; he took me by the hand; his breast heaved with emotion, and with indescribable tenderness he said: 'Mr. R----, I am greatly concerned for your salvation-greatly concerned for your salvation,' and he burst into tears. He stood with my hand grasped in his; he struggled to regain self-possession; he often essayed to speak, but not a word could he utter; and finding that he could say no more, he turned, went out of the shop, got on his horse, and rode slowly away.
"'Greatly concerned for my salvation,' said I, audibly, and I stood and forgot to bring my hammer down. There I stood with it upraised – 'greatly concerned for my salvation.' Here is a new argument for the truth of religion, which I have never heard before, and which I know not how to answer. Had the aged man reasoned with me I could have confounded him; but here is no threadbare argument for the truth of religion. Religion must be truth or this man would not feel as he does 'Greatly concerned for my salvation, it rung through my ears like a thunderclap in a clear sky Greatly concerned I ought, for my own salvation, said I "What shall I do?"I went to my house. My poor pious wife, whom I had always ridiculed for her religion, exclaimed: 'Why, Mr. R---- what is the matter with you?' 'Matter enough,' said I, filled with agony and overwhelmed with a sense of sin. 'Old Mr. B---- has rode two miles this cold morning to tell me he was greatly concerned for my salvation. What shall I do? What shall I do?'
"'I do not know what you can do, said my astonished wife; I do not know what better you can do than to get on your horse, and go and see him. He can give you better counsel than I, and tell you what you must do to be saved.'
"I mounted my horse, and pursued after him. I found him alone in that same little room where he had spent the night in prayer for my poor soul, where he had shed many tears over such a reprobate as I, and had besought God to have mercy upon me.
"I am come,' said I to him, 'to tell you that I am greatly concerned for my own salvation'
"'Praised be God,' said the aged man. 'It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners,' even the chief: and he began at that same scripture, and preached to me Jesus. On that same floor we knelt, and together we prayed-and we did not -separate that day till God spoke peace to my soul.
"I have often been requested to look at the evidence of the truth of religion, but blessed be God, I have evidence for its truth here," laying his hand upon his heart, "which nothing can gainsay or resist. I have often been led to look at this, and that argument for the truth of Christianity; but I could overturn and, as I thought, completely demolish and annihilate them all. But I stand here tonight, thankful to acknowledge that God sent an argument to my conscience and heart, which could not the answered or resisted, when a weeping Christian came to tell me how greatly concerned he was for my salvation. God taught him that argument when he spent the night before him in prayer for my soul! Now I can truly say, I am a happy man. My peace flows like a river. My consistent, uncomplaining wife, who so long bore with my impiety and unbelief, now rejoices with me, that, by the grace of God, I am what I am --- that whereas I was blind, now I see. And here permit me to say if you would wish to reach the heart of such a poor sinner as I, you must get your qualifications where he did, in your closet and on your knees; So it shall be with me. I will endeavor to reach the hearts of my infidel friends through the closet and by prayer.
He sat down overcome with emotion, amid the tears and the suppressed sobs of the assembly. All were touched; for all knew what he once was, all saw what he had now become. --Tract.
"I stand," said Mr. R----, "to tell you the story of my conversion." His lips trembled slightly as he spoke, and his bosom heaved with suppressed emotion. "I am as a brand plucked out of the burning. The change in me is an astonishment to myself; and all brought about by the grace of God, and that unanswerable argument. It was a cold morning in January, and I had just begun my labor at the anvil in my shop, when I looked out and saw Mr. B---- approaching. He dismounted quickly and entered. As he drew near I saw he was agitated. His look was full of earnestness; his eyes were dimmed with tears; he took me by the hand; his breast heaved with emotion, and with indescribable tenderness he said: 'Mr. R----, I am greatly concerned for your salvation-greatly concerned for your salvation,' and he burst into tears. He stood with my hand grasped in his; he struggled to regain self-possession; he often essayed to speak, but not a word could he utter; and finding that he could say no more, he turned, went out of the shop, got on his horse, and rode slowly away.
"'Greatly concerned for my salvation,' said I, audibly, and I stood and forgot to bring my hammer down. There I stood with it upraised – 'greatly concerned for my salvation.' Here is a new argument for the truth of religion, which I have never heard before, and which I know not how to answer. Had the aged man reasoned with me I could have confounded him; but here is no threadbare argument for the truth of religion. Religion must be truth or this man would not feel as he does 'Greatly concerned for my salvation, it rung through my ears like a thunderclap in a clear sky Greatly concerned I ought, for my own salvation, said I "What shall I do?"I went to my house. My poor pious wife, whom I had always ridiculed for her religion, exclaimed: 'Why, Mr. R---- what is the matter with you?' 'Matter enough,' said I, filled with agony and overwhelmed with a sense of sin. 'Old Mr. B---- has rode two miles this cold morning to tell me he was greatly concerned for my salvation. What shall I do? What shall I do?'
"'I do not know what you can do, said my astonished wife; I do not know what better you can do than to get on your horse, and go and see him. He can give you better counsel than I, and tell you what you must do to be saved.'
"I mounted my horse, and pursued after him. I found him alone in that same little room where he had spent the night in prayer for my poor soul, where he had shed many tears over such a reprobate as I, and had besought God to have mercy upon me.
"I am come,' said I to him, 'to tell you that I am greatly concerned for my own salvation'
"'Praised be God,' said the aged man. 'It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners,' even the chief: and he began at that same scripture, and preached to me Jesus. On that same floor we knelt, and together we prayed-and we did not -separate that day till God spoke peace to my soul.
"I have often been requested to look at the evidence of the truth of religion, but blessed be God, I have evidence for its truth here," laying his hand upon his heart, "which nothing can gainsay or resist. I have often been led to look at this, and that argument for the truth of Christianity; but I could overturn and, as I thought, completely demolish and annihilate them all. But I stand here tonight, thankful to acknowledge that God sent an argument to my conscience and heart, which could not the answered or resisted, when a weeping Christian came to tell me how greatly concerned he was for my salvation. God taught him that argument when he spent the night before him in prayer for my soul! Now I can truly say, I am a happy man. My peace flows like a river. My consistent, uncomplaining wife, who so long bore with my impiety and unbelief, now rejoices with me, that, by the grace of God, I am what I am --- that whereas I was blind, now I see. And here permit me to say if you would wish to reach the heart of such a poor sinner as I, you must get your qualifications where he did, in your closet and on your knees; So it shall be with me. I will endeavor to reach the hearts of my infidel friends through the closet and by prayer.
He sat down overcome with emotion, amid the tears and the suppressed sobs of the assembly. All were touched; for all knew what he once was, all saw what he had now become. --Tract.
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