Doubly Freed and Doubly Enriched.
"Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that also which is to come."—1 Timothy iv. 8.
When some notorious Canadian robbers were arrested, Chiniquy was chosen by several as their confessor, and he constantly attended the prison, instructing them, and trying to teach them how to die.
But, after all his efforts, a terrible fear that they were not converted would come over his mind, and doubts of the real efficacy of Popish ceremonies to prepare a sinner to meet God troubled him so much, that he made a final attempt to rescue the doomed men after sentence of death was passed upon some of them. His tears and prayers were successful, and the Governor of Canada changed the death-doom to life-long exile in Botany Bay. They, with a number of other prisoners, were therefore transported to the penal settlement, and good Father Chiniquy gave each penitent he visited a New Testament when he took leave of them.
Forty years passed away, and Mr. Chiniquy, the Presbyterian minister, was lecturing on "Romanism," in Australia, when he saw an elegant carriage driven up to the house at which he was staying, and a venerable gentleman, alighting from it, knocked at the door. He went himself to open it, to save trouble, and the stranger asked, was Father Chiniquy there, and might he see him privately?
"As I am Father Chiniquy," was the reply, "I can at once answer that I shall feel much pleasure in granting your request."
He led the way upstairs, and, when alone, the stranger asked—
"Do you remember the thieves who were sentenced to death in Quebec, in 1837? Well, dear Father Chiniquy, I was one of those criminals.... My name was A——. God has blessed me in many ways, but it is to you, under Him, that I owe my life, and all the privileges of my present existence.... I come to bless and thank you for what you have done for me;" and, with tears of joy and gratitude, he threw himself into his benefactor's arms.
They knelt together to thank God for His mercy, and then the visitor continued his wonderful story.
He said, "After you had given us your last benediction, when on board the ship that was to take us to Botany Bay, the first thing I did was, to open the New Testament you had given me.... It was the first time I had had that Book in my hands. You were the only priest in Canada who would put it in the hands of the common people....
"The only good I derived from the first reading was, that I clearly saw why the priests of Rome fear and hate that Book. In vain I looked for Mass, indulgences, purgatory, confession, the worship of Mary, &c., ... and for some weeks I became more of a sceptic than anything else.
"But, if my first reading did me little or no good, I cannot say the same of the second. I remembered, when handing us the Book, you told us to read it with prayer to God for light to understand it. I was tired of my former wicked life. I felt the need of a change.
"You often, when speaking to us, used the words of the Saviour, 'Come unto Me, all ye who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest'; but, like all the other priests, you mixed with them the invocation of Mary, confidence in signs of the cross, and confession, so that your sublime appeals to the words of Christ were drowned by absurd and impious superstitions.
"One morning, after a sleepless night, and feeling so pressed down with the weight of my sins, I opened my Gospel Book, after praying for light and guidance, and my eyes fell on the words, 'The Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world.' These words fell on my poor guilty soul with a divine power. I spent the day in crying to the Lamb of God to take away my sins. Before the day was over I felt and knew that my cries had been heard. The Lamb of God had taken away my sins. He had changed my heart, and made quite a new man of me.
"From that day the reading of the Gospel was to my soul what bread is to the poor, hungry man, and what pure and refreshing waters are to the thirsty traveller. My unspeakable joy was, to read the Holy Book, and speak to my companions in chains of the dear Saviour's love for poor sinners; and, thanks be to God, a good number have found Him altogether precious, and have been sincerely converted in the dark holes of that convict ship.
"When at work in Sydney with the other culprits, I felt my chains to be light when I was sure the heavy chains of sin were gone; and, though working hard beneath a burning sun from morning till night, my heart was full of joy when I was sure my Saviour had prepared a throne for me in His heavenly kingdom.
"About a year afterwards, a minister of the Gospel and another gentleman came to me and told me I was pardoned, at the same time handing me a document signed by the Governor, and a hundred dollars, adding, 'Go and be a faithful follower of the Lord Jesus, and God Almighty will bless you in all your ways.'
"All this seemed like a dream, but it was a reality, and I spent several days and nights weeping for joy, and blessing the God of my salvation.
"Some years after that, we heard of the gold mines, and I started, in company with several others; but I separated from the others, for I wanted to be alone, and pray to my God as I walked along.
"After a long march, I came to a beautiful spot between three small hills, whence a brook was running to the plain below. I sat down to eat my dinner, and, while doing so, my eyes fell on a stone by the brook about the size of a goose's egg. The rays of the sun shone on it like a mirror. I picked it up, and found it was nearly all gold of the purest kind....
"With the money I gained from that place I afterwards bought a piece of land, and became one of the wealthy men of Australia. I married and settled here; ... and it is to you, after God, I owe my life and all the privileges I now enjoy."
They wept and praised God together in the beautiful language of the 103rd Psalm. Both could say, with a full heart, "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name."
The next day Pastor Chiniquy dined at the house of his unexpected visitor, and felt warmly interested in the family and all that he saw and heard, and the two separated, not expecting to meet again on earth, but confidently hoping to meet around the throne of God, to praise the wonders of redeeming love for ever.
May we also be glad, and rejoice in His salvation, and join to sing the heavenly song with heart and voice, even now—
"Till sweeter notes our bosoms swell,
In yonder world above."
Wise work is cheerful as a child's work is.