LIBRARY TA.LES BUMBLE LlFE, cromq- j^ s OLD ADAM BY J^ERMIWilON OF THK AUTHOR. PUBLISHED BY PHILADELPHIA CONFERENCE TRACT SOCIETY, AT METHODIST EPISCOPAL BOOK ROOMS, 1018 AECH STREET, PHILADA. THE reader may rest assured these narratives are substantially true, as many persons now living in the neighborhood can testify. The names mentioned are real names, both of persons and places. Some of them, as in the former case, have arisen from my connection with the Chapel for the Destitute. I am surprised and thankful for the reception given to the first eleven Tales, now constituting the First Volume nearly half a million of which have been sold in a few months and the urgent request of many friends that I would furnish them with more, induces me again to dip into my diary, where many more yet remain. I am a tradesman, and make no pretensions to liter- ary ability. If He whom I desire to serve condescends to use me as a medium of good to others, my earnest wish will ,be realized. To Him my prayer has been, "HOLD THOU MY RIGHT HAND." J. ASHWORTH. Rochdale, 1866. ONE of our Rochdale doctors, being asked by a friend if some of his doings were not likely to exclude him from Heaven, replied: 1 " When I die, I will take with me an old book I have, which is full of debts owing to me by the poor, whom I have never distressed for payment, and show it at the gates of Heaven ; when they see it they will say, ' Admit him, he is a decent fellow.' 3 This shocking expression of the doctor's re- minded me of one of my neighbors, who, with several others, attended our village shaving- shop on the Sunday morning, to talk politics, read the newspaper, and rule the nation ; his name was Adam Schofield. Adam, like the doctor, may be taken as a fair type of many persons found in almost every part of the coun- try. He believed in eating, working, sleeping, and grumbling, and lived as if these were all for which a man was born. Once or twice in his lifetime he went to Town Meadows Chapel, to hear Mr. Stephens, but his opinion was, that church and chapel- going people must be rather bad, to require so much preaching and praying to keep them right. After finishing his day's work, Adam often found his way to our fireside, to have, what we called, " a chat," with my father. One even- 2 OLD ADAM. ing, addressing my mother, he said, " Do you not think a man may get to Heaven without going to either church or chapel ?" " I do not think that any person wishing to go to Heaven would ask such a question. They will be very glad to go to either church or chapel, if it would help them one step on the way," replied my mother. Adam was silent a few minutes, and then said, " Well, I think God takes the average of men's actions, and I shall have as many good deeds to show as will get me out at the right end." This was Adam's estimation of himself though he then confessed that he sometimes got drunk, and, when in a passion, could swear a round oath, and sometimes tell an untruth. For many years after I had left.the village, I often thought about Adam, for ever since I understood the Bible's teachings of how a sinner must be saved, I had regarded him as far from the kingdom. I, somehow, became so concerned about him, that I set out purposely to pay him a visit, though his house was two miles from mine. He was seated by the fire, and alone. He seemed glad to see me, and requested I would take a seat, and asked if " there was aught fresh or new ?" I began to tell him what my errand was OLD ADAM. 3 how concerned I had felt about his soul and how I had often heard him talk in a way that convinced me he was not a Christian, and, hav- ing much respect for him for my father's sake, had come all the way expressly to see and converse with him about his salvation. For several minutes Adam looked into the fire without speaking, at last he said " I think, John, you might have found hun- dreds, between here and your house, a deal worse than I am I don't know why you should be so concerned about me: I think I am as good as many that pretend to be better. " " That is what I expected and feared you would say, Adam, and it is what makes me so concerned about you. If you felt yourself a sinner, you would seek for a Saviour; but so long as you think you are not a sinner, there is no hope for you. You are very like several per- sons that I have seen and heard of, and if you will allow me, I will tell you about some of them, Adam." "If it will not take long you can go on," he replied. Well, I will give you the case of an old man : One Sunday, as I was going to Shaw, near Oldham, on ascending the rising ground leading from Buersil to High Crompton, I saw him slowly toiling up the road. On overtaking 95 OLD ADAM. him, and after the usual observations about the weather, I fell into the old man's speed, observ- ing "I can walk up this brow much better \hari you, my old friend." " Wait until you are seventy-two years of age, and then you see what you can do," he replied. "How much further have you to go ?" "Not far. I am coming from church, but it is getting a long way for me to go now, and I think I shall not be able to go much longer." " I am glad to hear you say you have been to church this morning, and that you are prepar- ing for your latter end, for I never see an old man, or an old woman, but I think they are not far from either Heaven or hell." "Well, as for that, T think I shall stand as good a chance as most folk, for I've attended church, at times, for forty years, always paid my way, and I don't know that I've done ony- bodv ony harm, what more done yo' want?" ''Then, during forty years, every time you have attended church, you have told a lie, or missed that part in your prayer-book which says, 'We have done the things we ought not to have done, and left undone the things which we ought to have done ..... Lord have mercy upon us, miserable sinners,' because you have just made it out that you are no sinner, but a decent sort of a man?" OLD ADAM. "I cannot walk up this hill so fast, you had better go on without me," he said, leaning his arm on a gate to rest. I, too, leaned on the gate, and looking him in the face, said " My dear old brother, I know why you want me to leave you, but I dare not until I have warned you of your danger. The Bible says all have sinned, and if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and unless we repent we shall be lost forever! A man must be born again or he can never enter Heaven. And here you are, an old man of seventy-two years of age, attending the church, at times, for forty years, and yet you are as blind as a bat, and as surely going to hell as you lean upon that gate. The moment you spoke of your goodness, you made me miser- able, for I then knew that you are what the Bible calls a Pharisee, and Pharisees never go to Heaven. The Lord have mercy upon you, for you are 'a miserable sinner.' ' During my short speech the old man seemed amazed and restless, and begged I would leave him, for I had made him very uneasy. I did as he requested ; but before leaving I again told him, as kindly as I could, that he was a sinner, and unless he repented he would never see Heaven. That is one case, Adam. Another case, somewhat similar to this, oc- curred about the same time. I was sent for to see 6 OLD ADAM. one of my neighbors. When I went up stairs he was propped up in bed, and looking very poorly. "I am glad you are come, Mr. Ash worth, for I wanted to have a little talk with you; but you know I have not been as bad as some." "No, John," said his wife, "there are thou- sands worse than you are." "I have never been much of a swearer," continued the man. "No, John," continued his wife, "nobody can say that about you." "I have not been a drunkard; I have been drunk, but not as often as some." "No, John," said his wife, "you have been anything but a drunkard, as some are." "I have had thousands of pounds passed through my hands belonging to others, but have always been honest." "Yes, John, you have always been honest to the penny." "I have sometimes gone to church," contin- ued the man, "or I have sat in the house and read, for I never could bear to see people wickedly spending the Sabbath." "Yes, John," again said his wife, "you have stopped at home many a time, and read the newspaper, or a book for me, instead of going out when any of your companions have called." During the whole of these observations I 38 OLD ADAM. 7 had not spoken one word. But when they had finished I quietly took up my hat, and said, "Well, I will go home, there is no need for me here ; Christ did not die for you." " Christ did not die for me ! How so ?" " I mean what I say. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners only, but, accord- ing to the statements of you and your wife, you are no sinner, but a very good man. Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance ; and as you make it out, and your wife confirms it, that you are a very righteous man, then Christ cannot have died for you, so I must bid you a good day, for I can be of no 'use if 1 remain." " Do not go, do not go, for I have been very mis- erable for several days, and I want something." "Yes, John, you want those rotten props knocked down, and if they are not knocked down you will as surely be lost as you are in that bed." " Well, what must I do ? I am willing that you should tell me, for I cannot bear to think that Christ did not die for me." " Well, John, just answer me a few questions. Have you ever taken God's name in vain ?" " Yes, many times, many times." " Then the Lord declares that swearers cannot entei* Heaven. Have you ever been drunk ? I think you have." 8 OLD ADAM. " Yes, I have, many a time." " Then the Lord declares that no drunkard shall enter Heaven. Have you not had wicked thoughts, such as lust, envy, malice, hatred, or revenge ?" "Yes, thousands of times." " Well, then, the Bible tells us that only the pure in heart shall see God. So, you see, all along you have been deceiving yourself, and depending on your good works. You admit you have broken the law, and, unless you get forgiveness through Christ, you perish." That is another case. " You knew old James Nuttall, Adam, did you not ?" " Yes, I knew old James," he replied. "Well, good old James, who for many years went about visiting the sick and relieving the poor, once had two shillings given to him to take to a sick dress-maker. On knocking at the door a feeble voice called out, ' Come in/ Old James walked in, and in one corner of a large room of a very clean house, he found the sick iress-maker confined to bed. He told her he had got two shillings, sent by a friend for her. She soon stopped him by saying "Old man, it is not me you are seeking, it is some one else, so you had better take it to the right place." 40 OLD ADAM. 9 " The old man thinking he was right, ask<3d her if she was a dress-maker, and if there was any other person in the neighborhood of that name." " Yes, I am a dress-maker, and the only per- son in the neighborhood of that name." "Then it is for you, and I will leave it on the mantle-piece; and I always like to pray both with sick people and healthy ones, if they will let me." While old James was sa3^ng this, he took off his hat, and laid it on a chair. He reared his stout walking-stick in a corner, near the sick woman's head, and, kneeling down, prayed that the Lord would bless the sick and poor, that He would pardon the woman all her sins, and make her happy. While he was praying, the woman took hold of the stout walking-stick, and lifted it up, intending to bring it down on his smooth, shining, bald head with a crash, for daring to call her a sinner ; but her hand was withheld by the old man's God, and the self-righteous dress- maker was, probably, saved from being a murderer. When he arose from his knees, she began to abuse him, saying, "Who told you that I was a sinner. I am as good as either you or them, and I do not thank you for either your prayer or your money. Me i, sinner, indeed! Where you find one better 10 OLD ADAM. you will find a thousand worse, and I hope you will not call here again." Old James, looking at the woman with sur- prise and sorrow, replied: " The money was giv- en to me for you, and I will leave it; and I will pray for you when I get home, that the Lord will open your blind eyes, and soften your hard heart, for you nee 1 both, I am sure." This woman recovered from her sickness, and became a member at Hope Chapel; but she told a different tale about her goodness the day she was admitted into the church." One more case, Adam, and then I have done. One evening, a rough character came to my house, urgently requesting that I would go with him to see an old woman, who was very poorly. I at once went, and, on entering the house, found her sitting up in bed moaning, and very restless. "You have sent for me to come and see you," I observed to the old woman. "Nay, I have not, nor did I want you. I am not going to die, I have only got the colic, and I shall soon be better; I will have none of your talk, nor your prayer," said the old woman. "Old Mary, you should not talk that way to Mr. Ashworth, he comes for your good," said the man who had fetched me. "Hold thee thy noise, thou scamp; T am as good as thee, thou devil, or as anybody in this OLD ADAM. 11 street, or the next street to it. I will send for some one to pray with me when I am going to die, and not till then; half an hour will do for that." The old woman was soon better, and walk- ing about as usual. But one night, when she had got to the top of the stairs, she lost her balance'; there was one wild scream, and a crash, and she lay dead at the bottom of the stairs. A regard for the feelings of her son and daugh* ter, prevents me giving the name. After giving the above cases, I waited to heap what Adam would say, but he made no reply. When on the point of leaving, I felt very nervous, and thought, shall I ask Adam to let me pray with him, or would it be more prudent to leave him without doing so? I asked him, but his reply was "No, John, what little I do in that line, 1 can do for myself." "Will you have this little book, then? It ia good print, and I think you will find some- thing that may interest you." "Well, yes, you may leave the book, and I can see what it is about." I laid the little book, called "Come to Jesus," on the table, bidding Adam good night, and for many weeks saw no more of him. Having to pass through the village, however, on some 12 OLD ADAM. business matters, I again called and found him as before, alone. On the table near him lay the little book, but backed afresh with some blue sugar paper. The moment I saw the book had been covered afresh, I felt convinced that there was a change somewhere else beside the book back. "So you see I have called again, Adam. How are you getting on since I last saw you?" He pointed to the chair, requested me to sit down, and at once began to tell me that he had long wanted to see me, for he had spent some very miserable hours since I last called, and had come to the conclusion that he should be lost. "I am glad such is the case, Adam. Now I have hope concerning you; for Jesus Christ came to seek and save that which was lost." "So this little book says. There is no non- sense about this book; it is all out of the Bible. I have been like the man you mentioned, all my life resting on rotten props, but this book knocks them all down, and I am almost in despair." I drew my chair nearer to where Adam sat, and, laying my hand on his knee, said ~-" Do you now think that you are better than others, and that your good deeds will outweigh your bad ones ? " "Oh, dear, no, I feel ashamed that ever J talked that way, to yon or any one else." " Do you still think there is too much preach OLD ADAM. 13 ing, praying, and Bible reading, as you once did? " "Oh dear, no, I have read the Bible more, and, in my way, prayed more the last two months than I have done for twenty years before." "Do you now think you are a sinner, Adam?" "I am sure I am, and a great sinner. What ever shall 1 do?" "Do you feel you are a sinner? for there is a vast difference between merely believing we are sinners and feeling we are sinners." "Yes, I feel that I am, and feel it so keen that it sometimes makes me sweat." "Well, do you feel that Christ can save you? ' "Why, He has saved millions, and He" Here Adam burst into tears, in which I could not help but join. "Do you believe that He will save you, Adam ? " "I hope He will," was his reply, still weeping. "Just one step more, Adam. Do you believe Christ will save you now, just now ? For you know if ever a man's sins are forgiven, there is -i moment when forgiveness takes place, and when that moment comes, he can say, '0, Lord, I will praise Thee^ though Thou wast mgry with me, thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me.' ' Adam buried his face in his hands, and began 46 14 OLD ADAM. sobbing like a child. I was deeply moved, and, for some time, we were both silent. At length Adam said : " What must I do ! what must I do ! I believe Christ died for sinners, and that he can save sinners, and does save sinners, and that he will perhaps save me, but I do not think that he will save me yet." " Then, Adam, you will never be saved until you believe that God, for Christ's sake, will save you, and with a present salvation. The promise, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,' does not mean believe to-morrow, and be saved to-morrow, but now. 'Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.' It is one of the Devil's best strata- gems, to make penitent sinners believe that Christ will not save them now. But, Adam, there areno promises of salvation for to- morrow." Adam still held down his head, and seemed in great trouble. When I rose to go he begged I would pray with him, and ask God to have mercy upon him. We prayed together, and not without hope that God heard our prayer. I then shook hands with him, and, at his request, I promised to call again soon, thankful in my heart that the once self-righteous Pharisee was now the humble penitent, pleading for mercy. Adam still sought pardon, still studied the Bible and read the little book called -'Come to OLD ADAM. 15 Jesus," attended the house of God regularly, and the weekday prayer meeetings held in the neighborhood, and before I saw him again he was a sinner saved by grace, and a very happy child of God. His regular attendance at the means of grace, and his consistent Christian life were strong evidence that the change was real. Speaking with him on one occasion about his former self-righteous views, and the difference betwixt those days and the time he was seeking pardon and mercy, he exclaimed " When I saw myself, what I was and what I had been, on the day I obtained mercy, I be- lieved and, felt that if my sins of heart and life had been spread out, they were enough to damn all the people in Rochdale." The evidence of saving faith is a life of holi- ness and Adam endeavored to live that life; he was indeed a brand plucked from the burning, and his sun was going down in a clear sky. He loved his Bible, loved to talk with religious peo- ple, and loved the house of God, and with child- like simplicity, spoke of his entire dependence on Christ as the only foundation of his hope. One fine Sabbath morning I was going to my engagements, and had to pass the house at Cut- gate where Adam still resided. My old friend Niff was looking out for me, for he was anxious I should call to see Adam, who was now very 16 OLD ADAM. poorly. On entering his poor, but clean cottage, I was very glad to find I was not too late, for on approaching his bed, he still knew me, and our hands were soon locked together. With a feeble whisper, and with great effort, he spoke of his great joy and peace, and thanked me that I had ever come to tell him of his danger, saying, "It was the best day's work you ever did. Had I remained a self-righteous Pharisee I should have been lost, but now, by the grace of God, and faith in Jesus Christ. I am just en- tering Heaven." On returning in the evening, I again called to see my dying friend, but on entering the house found the spirit had winged its way into the in- visible world. I laid my hand on his now cold forehead, and, while my breast was heaving with emotion and my eyes raining down tears, I thanked God for His goodness and mercy in opening the eyes of the poor old man, and blessing him with saving grace. That day Adam went to 'There there are millions of converted publicans and sinners, but where there is not one self-righteous person, for there is no Pharisee in Heaven, nor evej will be while Heaven is Heaven; but among the mil- lions of sinners saved by grace around th? throne of God will now be found the soul of my happy friend, OLD ADAM. ^.SOUTHERN REGIONAL A 000 605 228 6 UCSB LIBRARY STKAEE TALES FROM HUMBLE IM BY JOHN ASHWORTH. Fine Edition, Four Series, cloth, limp. The First and Second, bound in one volume, cloth, boards, or extra cloth, gilt edges, with steel portrait of the Author ; also Third and Fourth in one volume, gilt edges. rhes remarkable Tales are still kept as Tracts, of which nearly Three Millions have already been sold. FIRST I. Mary; a Tale of Sorrow. B. The Dark Hour. [Men. I. A Wonder ; or, The Two Old 4. Sanderson and Little Alice. 6. Wilkins. [and II. 6 & 7. Th Dark Night. Parts I. SERIES. 8. Joseph ; or, The Silent Corner, 9. My Mother. 10. Niff and his Dogs. 11. My New Friends. 12. My New Friends. 13. My New Friends. Parti. Part II. Part III. SECOND SERIES. H. Mothers. [Prayer. 15. Twenty Pounds ; or, The Little 16. All is Well. 17. My Uncle; or, Johnny's Box. 18. Old Adam. 19. Ellen Williams. 20. Trials. 21. Answered at Last. 22. Priscilla. [Step. 23. Julia ; or, The First Wrong 24. No Cotton. 25. My Young Ragged Friends. THIRD SERIES. K The Lost Curl. Z7. Emmott. 28. The Widow. 29. Sarah ; or, " I Will have Him ! ' 30. My Sick Friends. Part I. 81. My Sick Friends. Part II. 32. George. 33. James Burrows. 34. John and Mary. 35. A Sad Story. 36. Lucy's Legacy. 37. Edmund. FOURTH SERIES. 88. The Golden Wedding. 39. William the Tutor. 40. Fathers. tl. Little Susan. 42. Old Matthew. 13. Old Abo. 44. Milly- 45. The Fog Bell. 46. Mrs. Bowden. 47. Happy Ned. 48. Harry. 49. A Dancer. WALKS IN CANAAN. By same Author. 304 pages, with 7 full-page illustrations. Cloth, or extra cloth, gilt edges. *$" Mr. Ashworth's Tales and Books are above my praise ; they are circulated I believe, not by thousands, but by millions, and the result is, that the name of John Ashworth is a Household Word, not only in the lordly halls, but in the lowly homes of England." Dr. Outhrie.