01. Auld John; or, Grace and Debt.

Auld John; or, Grace and Debt.

"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." — Rom 4:4-5. This lovely and striking scripture was forcibly impressed on my mind, as well as illustrated, a few weeks ago, when calling on an old man who had been for a few weeks under my care, for a malady which, sooner or later, I saw must close his earthly history. I had not seen him for a few days, and on inquiring how he was, he replied, "Weel, doctor, I dinna ken muckle odds. Onyway, I’m nae better, an’ to tell the truth, I’m no’ makin’ muckle o’t."

John had been a steady hard-working man all his days; had risen to be foreman in the factory where nearly all his life had been spent, and had so gained the esteem and respect of his employer, that for some years, in view of his manifest feebleness and advanced age — nearly seventy — he had given him to understand that his presence or absence at the works was a matter of his own choice, his good weekly wage continuing in either case. As he reclined in his easy-chair, it did not appear to me that his death was near at hand; but his simple confession of an unimproved condition gave me the opportunity I had long wished for of a little quiet talk with him as to his spiritual condition; so to his reply I rejoined, "Do you mean that you don’t think you’ll get better?"

"Weel, I’ve jist ta’en that thocht. Gin I could get to the country, maybe ’twad set me up a bittie; but ye ken my legs are that poorless the noo I canna gang awa."

"So I am sorry to see, John; but now tell me, suppose you don’t get better, do you feel sure you’ll ’gang’ to the heavenly country? In other words, are you fit to die?"

"’Deed I’m no sae sure aboot that; tho’ I think aboot it whiles."

"What are you thinking, and how do you expect to get there? Have you been a sinner?"

"Ay, that ha’e I, an’ a muckle yin tae."

"Well, how do you suppose a sinner, and a great one too, can get to heaven? There is no sin allowed in there, and yet sinners get there?"

"I fancy I’ll jist ha’e to work an’ dae the best I can; tho’ I’m feart my time’s short; and I ha’ena dune eneuch."

"Oh, there is no doubt about your not having done enough. If that’s the road you’re on, John, it does not lead to heaven, but to hell."

"God forbid I should gang there, doctor; but surely yin maun work to get to heaven? We canna hope to get to yon happy place withoot working for’t?"

"But what can a sinner do but sin, John? The Word of God says, ’We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf’ (Isa 64:6). Now, if our best doings are as ’filthy rags’ in God’s sight, how can that help us, or clear away the many sins His all-seeing eye discerns? Depend upon it, my dear fellow, you are upon the wrong tack entirely. For many a long day, I confess, I was on it myself, till I learned that, 1st, I could not do anything; 2nd, that God did not want me to do anything; and 3rd, that Christ had done everything needed, for my salvation when He suffered on the cross, bearing my sins, and God’s judgment of them, and cried, ’IT IS FINISHED,’ before He laid down His life in atonement. Now, if God wanted you and me to do something more for our own salvation, that would be to ignore the value and efficacy of Christ’s finished work. The gospel is this, that God loves us, Christ died for us, and His blood was shed to wash away our sins, and the Holy Ghost has come down from heaven to tell us this good news, and lead our hearts to trust simply in Jesus and His finished work."

"But ye ken I’ve been sic a sinner, an’ I aye thocht I maun dae something," said the old man with intense earnestness, as tears filled his eyes.

"Did you never hear that lovely scripture, ’Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness’?" (Rom 4:4-5.) "Yon’s no in the Bible, surely?"

"Oh yes, it is, I am glad to say."

"Whaur? I, never heard tell o’t a’ my days."

"It is in Rom 4:1-25, the chapter that tells us how a poor guilty sinner like you or me can be justified before the God we have so sinned against. Is it not beautifully simple?"

"I dinna quite grup the meanin’ o’t."

"It just means this, that the man who works ought to get his pay; and in no sense regard it as a favour, because he has earned it. On the other hand, if a man ceases working for salvation, and just simply believes in God who justifies the ungodly on the principle of faith, his faith is counted to him for righteousness. Now observe, John, it is the ’ungodly’ that get the blessing, those who don’t deserve it, and who have not earned it, so that it may be by ’grace’ or ’favour,’ which is God’s way of acting towards us. Now God acts in grace — the activity of His own nature of love after we have ’sinned and come short of his glory,’ and on the righteous ground which the finished work of His own beloved Son affords Him. That grace blesses, and justifies the vilest, and most hell-deserving sinner, who, turning away from himself and his own doings, trusts simply in Jesus, having faith in His blood, and in God who sent Him to be the Saviour of the world."

Listening most eagerly, and drinking in the truth as the old man was, nevertheless the freeness of the gospel, I could see, was his stumbling-block; so having put a few more queries, by which I judged he had really condemned himself as an ungodly sinner before God, and that he truly desired to be saved, I ventured to apply the little bit of his own personal history I have named.

"Did you get your wages last week, John?

"Oo ay; they aye come reg’lar."

"But did you work for them?"

"No me; it’s yersel’ kens weel it’s mony a day sin’ I wrocht a hand’s turn."

"And yet the ’siller’ has come regularly?"

"Reg’lar as the clock, sir. The maister’s rale guid. He aye sends’t whether I work or no."

"Now, long ago, when you wrought a good week’s work, did you think it a great act of grace on your master’s part to pay your week’s wage, which you had toiled for?"

"I thocht naething o’ the kind. I had earned it, an’ ’twas only richt he sud pay me."

"Just so. In fact, after you had worked he was in your debt until he had paid you, and there could be no question of grace about it at all?"

"Weel, that’s yae way o’ lookin’ at it."

"But for some months past, though you have done no work, nevertheless, you tell me, the money has come just the same. What do you call that, John?"

"Weel, that’s grace, to be sure," the old man answered with emphasis, as the tears flowed faster.

"Quite right. Don’t you see how your own master’s kind treatment of you illustrates the verse I have been quoting? What you could not earn he sends, because he knows you need it. In the same way God sends you salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, and you have only got just to believe in Him, and receive thankfully what in grace He sends to you."

"Oh! I begin to see licht through’t noo. I never heard it explained in this simple way afore," said the old man softly and slowly.

"Thank God if you do see it, John, even though late in your life. Now tell me, do you really take your place as an ungodly, hell-deserving sinner before God; give up all thoughts of your own works, and simply cast yourself on Him, believing His word and His Son?"

"That dae I, truly. I canna dae ocht else after what ye’ve been tellin’ me, I’ll jist lippen till Him alane. I DAE believe Him!"

"Well, John, then you are a blessed man from this hour; for it says — ’But unto him that WORKETH NOT but BELIEVETH on him that JUSTIFIETH the ungodly, His FAITH [not his works] is counted for RIGHTEOUSNESS;’ and you are entitled to know yourself justified before God, and fit for the heavenly country through faith in Jesus’ blood, for the 4th of Romans goes on thus — ’Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin’" (Rom 4:6-8).

Satisfied that his faith was sincere, and his perception of the gospel childlike and simple, I gave my medical instructions and left him, saying I would call again in two days. The next day an urgent message came requesting me to call immediately. I went. John was gone! — gone to the heavenly country, I could not but believe, the way to which he had so recently learned. He passed away in his chair without warning or struggle, his heart having suddenly failed.

Reader! if you should pass away, just exactly twenty-four hours after reading this, where would YOU spend eternity? Do not forget that if you slight grace, you will receive what is due to you — your wages. What are they? do you ask. Listen, and never forget — "The wages of sin (and unbelief is sin) is death," and "after death"  -  terrible thought, fearful future — "the judgment."

What an awful eternity must that man’s be who remembers, while writhing beneath the judgment he feels is the just and righteous wages of sin, that he might have been in the enjoyment of grace for ever but for his own folly. Works, "wicked" or "dead," can never save, and only lead the doer of them to the dreary dungeons of the damned. Grace conducts the vilest sinner, who trusts in Jesus’ blood, right into eternal glory and blessedness. Be persuaded, my friend, to "taste that the Lord is gracious."