Uncle Sam

"He was a man of about seventy years of age. When I discovered him, he lived in the basement of a poor shack, perched on a hillside in the suburbs of the city and made a scant living fishing and catching driftwood when the river rose and brought logs and trash from the country above. He and his wife lived alone. She was a tall, gaunt woman and knew all about an abusive husband and hard times.

Sam is what we shall call him. He was often drunk and had many conflicts with the police. He had been shot up frequently and much of the time was in the workhouse of the city. The police regarded him as one of the most dangerous men in the city and when they found him drunk, took pains to get any fighting equipment he might have about him off of him before they awoke him."

"It was near eleven o’clock at night when Sam arose in triumph and flung the sleeves of his ragged coat around my neck. He had the victory. He wept, he shouted, he laughed. The intellectual, worldly woman came up in tears and said, "The Lord is in this place." The young skeptical doctor seized my hand and said, "Brother Morrison, I have known old Sam Mc. since I was a boy. He has been a miserable drunkard, a poor thief. If he holds out, I will never utter another word against the Bible or the church or the saving power of Jesus Christ."

"A good many years passed. I held a woods meeting in a community twelve miles from the little city in which Sam lived. He walked down, gave a good testimony. He heard the people witnessing to full salvation. He listened with wonder and delight. He stood up and said, "If there’s any more than what I’ve got, I must have it. What the Lord gave me is so good I want all He’s got for me." He came to the altar and entered with great humility, and, at the same time, with great boldness, into the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ. He shouted and rejoiced wonderfully. He walked back home to tell his wife of what a marvelous blessing had been poured out in his soul. He had been a great tobacco user. A few days after this gracious baptism, he came to me and said, "Do you know a man can’t chaw ‘baccer and have this blessin’? I took one chaw after I got this and the Master rebuked me. I ain’t a-goin’ to chaw no more. I don’t want no more."