"I will state to you my sentiments, then you can give me such advice as you think proper. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, but do not and cannot believe in the Son, that is in Jesus. Now sir, what am I to do."
"What are you to do? You are to be lost forever unless there can be a change," I replied.
"You make out that I am in a bad condition," he said.
"You are in a bad condition," I replied. "You say you believe in God the Father, and he says, ' There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.' So that there can be no possible hope in your case unless there can be a change in your views."
"Well, sir, I can never believe in the Son of God," he replied again.
I said again to him, "that must settle the question forever if it is so. For the Father has no blood to shed for you and "without the shedding of blood there can be no remission."
I asked him if he would kneel down and pray with me.
"Yes," he said, "I will pray to the Father, I know no Son."
But what a chilly prayer. After a little further conversation, I said:
"Your case is not hopeless. Will you give me your hand and pledge of honor that you will not knowingly grieve the Holy Spirit from you?"
"I pledge you that I will not knowingly resist the Spirit."
I said, "My dear sir, I can pray for you now and believe the Spirit will show you Jesus."
In about three days he kneeled in a large assembly and offered this prayer:
"O Lord, I promised that I would not resist the Holy Spirit, and he has melted me all down and I have a glimpse of Jesus."
I felt sure the full-orbed day would soon rise to his view. In a few days after this, he stood in the midst of a great crowd and made this statement:
"Ten days ago I stood upon a platform of infidelity, now I have sweetly embraced Jesus as my Saviour." While it is true that no man can find or come to Christ, except by the Holy Spirit, it is equally true that we can resist him, and be lost forever. -- A. B. Earle, From: "Incidents Used ... In His Meetings," published in 1888