Brought Home by the Angels (3)

Those Excellent Noblemen

Rev. Wilhelmus Eversdijk (1653-1729) wrote an introduction for a book called The Lord’s Praises Proclaimed Out of the Mouths of Children in Twenty-Five Singular Examples. The ninth example speaks of a young boy nine years old, in England. He was a small, poor, dirty, and foul-smelling young boy who went his way begging from house to house. (A sample from the 9th printing of 1757 is reprinted below).

It pleased the Lord “to awaken a great deal of sympathy and tenderness in the heart of a pious man toward this poor child so that he lovingly took him from the street since his parents were unknown.… Seeking God’s honor and the welfare of the undying soul of this miserable creature, he took this child to make him his own with the intention to bring him up for the Lord Jesus.”

The young lad, because of his association with other young beggars who lived on the streets, used extremely course and crude language. He cursed and swore, “and did all kinds of wickedness, and as concerning any knowledge of God, he was worse than a heathen.” Yet, the Lord blessed the instruction which he received out of God’s Word, and it did not take long ere there was seen “a remarkable change in the child…and he seemed to be a different creature.”

Free and rich grace

This change in his life was not just an outward change, for he went often into a secret place, weeping and sorrowing about his former sinful life. It is very touching to read how the Lord worked further in the heart of this child, especially when he was bedridden because of the black plague. Often, he wept and complained about his great sins and about his lost and miserable state. He continued to pray with many tears, “that Christ was willing to die for such a wicked person as he was; he found this one of the most difficult things in the world to believe.”

When it pleased the Lord to open his heart for the gospel with, among other words, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), “then this poor boy was full of wonderment and praised God. He exalted greatly the free and rich grace which had shown mercy unto him and forgave him his sins. He was so full of wonderment and praise about God that…the house was like a little heaven.”

A vision of angels

After this, the Lord made grace for the young boy so abundant that he prayed fervently that he might be washed in the blood of Jesus and that the King of kings would forgive him all of his sins and take up his soul into His kingdom. What he spoke was uttered with so much respect and fervor that those listening were filled with both dread and joy. He was very much encouraged also in all strife and fear. We will yet report the following, the Wednesday before he died, the child lay continuously for about a half hour as if he were unconscious, during which time he thought that he had seen a vision of angels. When he came out of this trance, he was somewhat upset and asked the woman who was with him why she did not let him go. “Go where?” she asked.

“Well,” he said, “with those excellent noblemen. They told me that they would come and get me, in spite of all of you, this coming Friday.” He often repeated the words. “This coming Friday those excellent noblemen will come to get me.”

The Thursday before he died all fear departed because of his great joy in Christ. He made a sort of jump in his bed because of the overflowing joy. From that time on he remained in the full joy and assurance of God’s love, expressly praising God with the desire to die and to be with Christ. On Friday morning he joyfully entered the rest with the appropriate words, “Into Thy rest, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” He died at the time of which he had spoken and where he awaited the angels who would come for him. He was just past the age of nine years when he died.

The young boy called the angels “excellent noblemen.” A striking, childlike, appropriate expression! Undoubtedly the angels which appeared to him when he was in a trance had come in heavenly majesty and luster. He does not only call them “noblemen” because of their clothing but also to point to their “excellence” as further evidence of their majesty.

(To be continued)

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