It is a mercy to find the Pearl of great Price in early life, as it saves the soul from a thousand thorns, which gall the consciences of those, who do not experience the pardon of their sins till the terrors of death approach. The Lord has given us one particular instance in his word, of the victory of his grace in the soul, as the body was wracking in the agonies of death, and this is recorded that none might despair, and none might presume. Two malefactors were crucified with our dear Lord, on Golgotha; and when impious profane wretches, with the hell-hardened priests, were insulting him in his agonies, thieves that were crucified with him, did cast the same in his teeth. This shews the awful state they were both in, but Oh, the freeness and sovereignty of divine grace—the Lord selected one of those to be an instance of it—at this awful period the Lord Jesus looked upon him, and began his work of grace; the effects were soon visible, in reproving his companion, and submission to his fate, the acknowledgment of his just sentence, with a high commendation of the illustrious sufferer. This was presently vented again in prayer, crying first to his companion in sin and sorrow, “Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? We indeed, justly suffer, but this man hath done nothing amiss.” Then perhaps writhing his agonising body towards his Redeemer, he strove to shew his veneration, by lowly bowing his head. The effort tore his lengthening wounds, and the blood gushed forth in larger streams; but disregarding the pain, and the streaming blood, he cried, “Lord, remember me, when thou comest into thy kingdom.” The dear Saviour, with a divine smile, which entered the heart of the poor malefactor, looked on him with benignity, grace, and love; and with a gentle voice replied, “This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” No doubt this sweet promise was attended with the full pardon of his sins, a sense of divine love, and a joy full of glory. The peace of God, which his dear Lord was now making for him, filled his wondering mind, and fitted his new-born soul for celestial triumphs. Here was grace indeed—sovereign, rich, and free. He saw his Redeemer in agonies, he beheld the midnight darkness which veiled the heavens, he felt the earth quake, and he heard the rocks split when his Lord exclaimed “It is finished.” No doubt with strange emotions of love, grief, wonder, capture, surprise, adoration, and joy, he cast his dying eyes on his suffering Saviour; he saw our Jesus bow his dear head in death, having obtained eternal redemption for all who come to God through him; and no doubt he longed for the moment when he should breathe his last—but his heart was once more to be broken. The soldiers came to break the legs of the malefactors, but his Lord was dead already; and the poor thief, with dim dying eyes; yet saw the murderous villain drive a spear in the heart of that Christ that had pardoned his sin; his soul struggled to get through the body, to the bosom of its Saviour and its God. His legs being broken, he then expired, and his disimprisoned soul fled to the paradise promised him. This was grace indeed.
Oh for this love let rocks and hills
Their lasting silence break.
This almighty grace, I humbly trust, accomplished the salvation of Mr. D. It appears from what I can learn, that he had lived in thoughtlessness and folly, and those amusements which are calculated to fasten the bands of spiritual death the firmer; but the Lord stopped him in his mad career, in a very awful way, and with one tremendous sin, punished others, and made it an awful, but gracious means to bring him to reflection, to seeking the Lord, and to that repentance that needeth not to be repented of. Sin rose to its heighth, Satan did his utmost, and the hand of the Lord appeared; the awful moment of temptation came, he complied, he sinned with an high hand and an uplifted arm—ignorant of the nature of sin, he vainly supposed a child wanted no Saviour, forgetting it is written, “I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” He performed the fatal act, and ushered the soul of the child into eternity, destroyed its body, robbed its dear parents of its affectionate embrace, involved them in sorrow, and plunged himself into the deepest horrors, real and imaginary; forfeited his life to the just laws of his country, and if grace had not been manifested, he would have complicated his own everlasting destruction. Oh, the extent of the crime! how dreadful! His tortured heart could feel no rest day nor night, till he gave himself up to justice. I saw him come into prison, and strange to tell, I felt a spirit of prayer for him influence my mind, which, more or less, abode with me till his execution. I knew how it would be with him, and I daily feared he would die by his own hands; but the Lord appeared gracious, not only in preserving him, but in giving him a serious concern about his never dying soul. There was a person in the same class with him, who had been for some time also with me; this person often took occasion to talk seriously with Mr. *** D. and observing the state of his mind, he advised him to write to me; but I being a stranger to him, and his mind sadly agitated, he requested his companion to write to me, and lay before me his distressed feelings, and begged to know from me if there were any hopes held out in scripture, for such a character as he was, and if there were any murderer ever obtained eternal life. I endeavored to answer him according to the word of God, assured him I was glad to find him under concern for his soul, and asking the way to God. I pointed out the nature and design of the Gospel, in the revelation of a Saviour, exactly suited to such sinners as he was; the invitation to poor sinners, who were led to cry for mercy from a feeling sense of need; the freeness of divine grace, and above all, I constantly urged the necessity of an application of the atonement to the conscience, and shewed him according to my poor abilities, that the salvation he now stood in need of, consisted in the sense of pardoning mercy. This I urged upon him to cry day and night for, and never rest till he knew for himself his sins were forgiven, and then I knew all the happy holy consequences that would follow.
I next pointed out the excellency of the good and just laws of the land in which we live, and although I was most cruelly charged as an enemy to all laws, divine and human, yet this was as false as God was true, as I consider the wholesome laws of the country, to come the nearest to the precepts of the sacred scriptures, and that a Christian, in his best state of mind, esteemed and loved every law of God. Great peace have they which love thy law. The next step I took, was to point out those parts of scripture, which suited his case and this I constantly enforced, as I hoped he grew in knowledge, and in seeking the Lord; but I did not answer the question in reference to the possibility of a murderer’s salvation, for some time after, because I considered it necessary that he should be truly wounded, till the healing balm was brought.
I shall not enlarge upon the subject of the various letters I sent him in his unhappy situation, but with respect to the question, “The doubt in the minds of many, whether it is possible for a person guilty of murder, to obtain eternal life:” The scriptures are clear upon this subject. Many have obtained it, although they most justly forfeit their natural lives, agreeable to the divine injunction, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” And if a murderer is not detected and executed by the laws of his country, yet, in general, some evil befals them, and they seldom die a natural death; for the word of God is mostly fulfilled in this particular. But, with respect to the soul, the salvation of that is an act of free, sovereign mercy. The passage of John’s Epistle, 3rd chapter, 15th verse, should be read in its connexion, and you will find that it explains itself, “Whoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” This text refers to those hypocrites in a profession of religion, who, in heart, hate those that are truly called of God to the enjoyment of the truth; and such, indeed, is the nature of the holy law of God, that it views unjust anger in the mind, as murder; so says the Lord and fulfiller of his own law, 5th of Matthew. Who then can hope for salvation from the broken Covenant of Works; but it is very evident that some who have committed murder have been pardoned by the blood of the atonement, and are now in heaven. God’s highly distinguished servants, both Moses and David, were guilty of Murder; Moses killed an Egyptian and hid him in the sand, and David gave orders to captain-general Joab to place Uriah in the front of the battle, that he might be killed; this cruel act was resented by the Lord, for although his sins were pardoned, yet David had a broken heart within, and perpetual wars without. While Manasseh was in a state of nature, it is said he wrought very much evil in the sight of the Lord—moreover, Manasseh shed innocent blood very much—and yet, Oh the wonders of free victorious grace! Manasseh is brought into trouble, into a prison, and into fetters, and there the Lord convinced him of sin, humbled his heart, gave him a spirit of prayer, and made himself known to him as a sin pardoning God. Some of the murderers of the Son of God were pardoned: for these the dear Saviour prayed, while they were in the very act of crucifying him, “Father forgive them.” And when the bold and faithful apostle Peter preached to them, he charged the murder of the Saviour to their consciences, God gave them faith to believe in him, grace to receive his word, repentance unto life, and they were baptized in the name of that very Jesus whom they had crucified. I might also mention Saul of Tarsus, who gives a most affecting account of himself, in the 26th of the Acts. And who can tell the list of those who have been humbled and renewed by the grace of God, and who went from the fatal gibbet to glory? This I trust was the sad, but through mercy, happy case with Mr. D.
After the lapse of a few weeks, when his agitated bosom would permit him, he wrote to me—there was nothing in his letter but what was very natural to expect from a person in his situation; yet, from a few sentences, I was encouraged in my hope that he was seeking the Lord. I gained information of him every week, and always wrote to him accordingly. His fears, terrors, and horrors overwhelmed his trembling spirit, and I hoped there was more than nature in it. Some pious men brought him some religions Tracts. Good Mr. Smith of Penzance, once visited him, and by the good hand of God, his terrors abated, and his mind was gradually opened by the Holy Spirit, to see the value of Christ, and to make application to him for that mercy and grace he delights to display. I frequently observed him at the chapel, and when our worthy Chaplain advanced any precious sentence of the fullness and freeness of grace, he used to look at me with smiling approbation; by this I could see he was, at least, gaining some knowledge of the right way, and rejoicing in the truth. He experienced very violent temptations from the enemy, sometimes to suicide, then to doubt the authenticity of the Bible. Various were his tossings of mind and deep was his distress, till the Lord led him to receive the atonement in his mind with power; this was done in the use of the means. I could humbly wish to have known how this came into his mind, whether by the impression of any scripture, or in any open manifestation of power, light, and liberty. I heard he was more comfortable than he used to be, and wrote to him to know the ground of that comfort, and the real state of his mind, to which he sent me the following simple and plain Letter.
Mr. C.
MY DEAR FRIEND & WELL WISHER,
I feel much indebted to you for your good advice and kind attention to me under my heavy afflictions. I have the pleasure to inform you I am a wonder to myself: my mind and heart prone after the riches of Christ—there is no name under heaven, nor in heaven, so precious as his to me.—You know what the Bible promises to all believers. I have read it, and thought it reached any case but mine, but now, thanks be to God, I find my case and sins were what our blessed Saviour shed his blood for—such rebels as me! A free pardon is held forth for such vile creatures as I am. I thank God from my heart, he has done a great work for me—the blood of Christ is precious blood—he is strengthening me much in faith. I find he is all I need. I am nothing but sin, and have done no good in all my life, yet he holds a free pardon for me. He has answered my polluted prayers, and every promise in the book tells me it is for me. The blessed and Holy Spirit has opened my blind eyes, and shewed me what I am and what Christ is, in some degree, but his riches and mercies none can fathom—his promise takes away the sting of death. I am looking to him, and put all things into his hands, and it will be well.
Kind Sir, I remain, your’s, &c.
A great Sinner,
R. Dean.
From this simple letter I received some degree of consolation, and finding his mind was open to receive the atonement for the pardon of all sin, I judged it now expedient to lead his attention to that glorious robe of imputed righteousness which is the end of the law and the glory of the gospel, that he might be able to say
Jesus thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are my glorious dress;
’Midst flaming worlds, in these array’d,
With joy shall I lift up my head.
I pressed his attention to that capital blessing, knowing that faith had to do with that alone to render us just before God; that while the blood of Jesus took away all sin, the obedience of Christ to the Law fulfilled all righteousness—the one excludes from hell, but the other brings us to heaven; “For in the Lord shall all the Seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.” I had, after this, much uneasiness of mind on behalf of poor Mr. D. his situation with so many awful characters, in the same part of the prison, I knew was not very favorable to his growth in grace; yet I knew, if the work was genuine on his mind, it would be carried on; but some persons had attempted to console his mind with this idea, That on his trial it would be proved he was insane. I feared this would throw him into a careless frame about his soul, and I fear it did for a time, but the speedy approach of the assize alarmed him, and I hope the Lord quickened him again. I wrote to him not to listen to any such ideas for a moment, and reminded him of the first intimation of Satan to out first parents—“Ye shall not surely die.” I trust this had the desired effect; he was tried and cast for death, as I expected, and his fatal day was appointed, but deferred to wait the decision of the fate of another, who was afterwards reprieved. This was indeed rather an uncommon circumstance, but I fondly hoped the Lord had so appointed it, that poor Mr. D. might be the better capacitated to enter into his awful presence. In reference to his state of mind, during this period, the worthy minister of the place constantly visited him, and held forth the suitable consolations of the gospel to his view, nor were those visits in vain. I frequently heard Mr. D. pray aloud, and with much energy. The day before his execution (April 7, 1819) he was visited by a Nobleman and his respectable Friend, who, in imitation of their divine Lord, delights to go about doing good; may God prosper their efforts, and another day fulfil in those honorable persons all those gracious promises in the 41st Psalm, 1, 2, 3rd verses. Some pious, Friends from the Methodist Society often visited him, and prayed with him, and I trust felt the presence of the Lord with them; as an evidence of his approbation of their work of love, some continued with him all the night previous to his execution: Mr. D. received them kindly and gratefully. The visitors did not perceive the least sign of insanity, but a calm composedness of mind, and an humble trust in the atonement of Christ, and without the shadow of a doubt of the pardon of his sins. Believe me, I feel an emotion of gratitude and tears while I write this. He could give no account what induced him to commit the horrid deed, but spoke very composedly on every subject. He joined the gentlemen in prayer, and singing an hymn—