MONTROSE
/ by Walter L. Wilson
the edge of a clearing which separated our army from the Union forces. I went at once to the edge of the forest in which our men were camped, climbed a tree, and waited to see whether anyone of the enemy would make his appearance in the clearing that was between the two camps. The full moon was shining brightly so that it was easy to see across the meadow that separated the two groves. I was on the alert, with my gun ready. In a short time a sentry from the Union army did appear. He came out into the clearing, not too far from the tree where I was stationed. At once the thought came to me that I must shoot this enemy immediately.” At this point, Mr. Curtis hesitated. He did not seem to wish to continue the story. I urged him to tell me his thoughts and his actions during those tense moments, because I saw that this was the crucial point in his experience. After a bit of hesitation, Mr. Curtis continued, “My conscience would not permit me to shoot him. I thought within myself that to shoot would be murder. This young man was not in a battle, he was not able to defend him self, he had no opportunity to fight back, and if I shot him it would be cold-blooded murder. While I was meditating and fighting my conscience, the young man was walking slowly up and down in the moonlight, quite unaware of the presence of his enemies. I said to myself, ‘If I do not shoot him, my Commanding Officer will treat me as a traitor, for I am here to kill the enemy.’ ” Mr. Curtis was trembling as he continued the story, and said, “ I concluded that I must shoot this man who was an enemy of our cause. As I shot him he fell backwards with his face upturned in the moonlight. I climbed down the tree and waited in the shadows to see whether others of the enemy would appear. None came, so I hurried across the clearing, obtained the gun of the young soldier and his number, but as I looked in his face, the sight filled my whole being with horror. I thought of his family back home waiting for him to return. I thought of the prayers that probably were following him. I thought of the wife and babies he might have somewhere waiting for him to return.” At this point, the old gentleman broke down com pletely and wept bitterly. Then he said to me, “Young man, I am a hypocrite, I am a murderer. Men would not forgive me if they knew my wicked heart, and how cruel I was to that young man and his family. God will not
forgive me, because I killed that young soldier in cold blood, and with no provocation. I have committed the unpardonable sin. Since then I have shunned the com pany of others, and refused companionship with those who would like to be friends. I must live alone, and just wait for the day when God will give me the punishment I deserve.” Upon hearing this story I took my Bible from my pocket, for I had learned that the true physician must be equipped to relieve both physical pain and spiritual dis tress. I turned in my Bible to several passages that con tained the word “ all.” Then I said to Mr. Curtis, “ Let me read to you what God has written particularly for you, because He knew of the deep sorrow that would fill your life.” I read to him, “ . . . having forgiven you ALL tres passes.” (Col. 2:13) And then again in Isaiah 53:6: “ God hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us ALL.” And then another passage from Acts 13:39: “By Him (Jesus) ALL that believe are justified from ALL things, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses.” “Mr. Curtis, will you please notice the word ‘all’ in these passages?” My friend was weeping copiously and listening atten tively as I sought to correct his wrong ideas about God. When I called his attention to the wonderful statements of God’s Word, he looked at me with intense interest and said, “ Does God mean that He will forgive the sin of murder? W ill He forgive me?” I called his attention again to the plain statement of the Scripture. I read the passages to him again. When I had finished reading he dropped to his knees and exclaimed passionately, “ God, I never thought you would do it. I didn’t know that you thought these things about me. I didn’t know you would forgive me. I thank you for it! I thank you for it!” Mr. Curtis was so overwhelmed with this new thought about God, and His forgiving grace through Christ Jesus that he was unable to talk for a little, resumed his place in the chair and sat in silent meditation, while the tears of gratitude streamed down his face. I then explained to him the words of I Peter 2:24 in which is recorded: “He (Christ Jesus) bore our sins in His own body on the tree,” and explained to him how that the Saviour was punished for all the sins of Mr. Curtis, including the sin of murder. He believed it, he found rest in his spirit about it, he accepted the forgiveness of the One he had feared, he became a changed man. No longer was there a mystery man in Montrose. His actions remained a mystery, for no one understood his secret. I did not tell it, and neither did he. He acted as a man who had emerged from prison into a new life. He became most friendly, was happy to mingle and mix with the people. He became a valuable citizen of that little village, but the secret remained in his heart. The silence and the shadows were past, a new light and a new spirit possessed the mystery man of Montrose. How unfortunate it was that the world lost the blessing this unique and splendid character could have given it, only because he had wrong thoughts about God during those forty long years.
Walter L. Wilson, M.D., D.D., L.H.D., F.R.G.S., Kansas City, Missouri Dr. Wilson will be one of the speakers during Biota’s 25th annual Torrey Memorial Bible Conference, January 31 - February 7, 1960. See special announcement in this month’s issue concerning other speakers and church locations.
JANUARY, 1960
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