This beautiful story has been used by preachers to illustrate evangelism for 300 years now.
It is from John Bunyan’s Autobiography, “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.”
It shows us – all of us – that we can live and speak in such a way as to leave an ember, an impression, a lingering sense of possible joy, in the memories of people we meet every day.
”One day, the good providence of God did cast me to Bedford, to work and in one of the streets of that town, I came to where there were three or four poor women sitting at a door in the sun and talking about the things of God; and being now willing to hear them talk, I drew near to hear what they said . . . But I understood not; for they were far above, out of my reach, for their talk was about a new birth, the work of God on their hearts, also how they were convinced of their miserable state by nature; they talked how God had visited their souls with His love in the Lord Jesus, and with what words and promises they had been refreshed, comforted and supported against temptations of the devil.
And methought they spake as if joy did make them speak; they spake with such pleasantness of Scripture language and with such appearance of grace in all they said, that they were to me as if they had found a new world . . .
As this I felt my own heart began to shake, as mistrusting my condition . . . for I saw that in all my thoughts about religion and salvation, the new birth did never enter my mind, neither knew I the comfort of the word and promise of God, nor the deceitfulness and treachery of my own heart.”