RECEIVING THE TRUTH.
Mrs. Le Pla was a French lady, who came over to England in the younger part of her life, with much of the vivacity for which the French nation has been remarkable. She was particularly under the eye of a grave, Pharisaic lady, by whom she was persuaded to go to church, but the dull manner in which the clergyman performed his office disgusted her so much, that she withheld her attention, and fell asleep. At this, her English friend was exceedingly angry, and reproved her sharply.
On another Lord's Day her friend took her to hear Dr. F——, but his excessive action provoked her to such a degree that she burst into a loud laugh, and she was desired to walk out of the place of worship, where she had certainly shown too little regard for the Divine Being and His worshippers.
On returning home, she was very properly and severely remonstrated with, at which she was much hurt. She replied, in broken English, "What can I do, madam? I go to church to please you, and there I fall asleep. I go to meeting, and there I laugh; and to tell you the truth, I begin to think my own religion is not the right religion, for that teaches me to worship images, and God says, 'Thou shalt not make any graven image.' If, therefore, madam, I go to any place of worship, it shall be to hear a Mr. Whitefield, for I have heard great things of him."
"Well," said her English friend, "we will inquire where he preaches."
The good man was then dead. The ladies therefore went to the Tabernacle, Moorfields. Mr. T. Knight was the preacher, and the native of France, enraptured, cried out—
"This is the good and right doctrine! Here I will attend."
"Yes," said the prudent, self-righteous lady, "it is my opinion that they believe in predestination here, and you cannot think it right that God made any of His creatures to be damned?"
"Oh, no," said Mrs. Le Pla; "but I will certainly inquire for myself."
The next opportunity was eagerly embraced, and the zealous inquirer, seating herself by a good old woman of the congregation, whispered—
"Pray, madam, do they believe in predestination here?"
"Why, predestination," said she, "how can they avoid believing it? The Bible is full of it."
The querist was thunderstruck. She hastened home.
"Do they believe in predestination there?"
"An old lady told me they did," was the reply. "But," said the French lady, "I am determined to ask the minister myself."
Not long after, she had an interview with Mr. Knight.
"Pray, sir," said she, "will you allow me to ask you a few questions?"
"By all means," said the good man.
"Then you must know," said Mrs. Le Pla, "I was brought up a Roman Catholic, and I think that is not the right religion, because they worship images, and I come to hear you with pleasure, sir. But my friends tell me you believe in predestination, and a good old lady, one of your congregation, confirms it. I have therefore taken the liberty to ask yourself about it."
Mr. Knight said to her, "Do not believe what every old woman says to you. Do you believe you are a sinner?"
"Oh, yes, sir!"
"Do you feel the want of Jesus Christ?"
"Oh, yes, sir."
"Then," said Mr. Knight, "continue to hear the Word of God, and search the Scriptures to see whether I preach the truth or not."
She took his advice, and some little time after, he preached on the subject of predestination, and desired his hearers to compare what he had to say with their Bibles. The French lady did so, and was quite overcome with conviction of the truth. The question now was not with her, whether predestination was a truth of God or not, but whether she was one of the happy number appointed to salvation.
She afterwards became established in the truth, was joined to Mr. Brewer's Church, died in the Lord some years since, and was interred in the adjoining burying-ground.