Etext editor's note, 11-September-2002:

This digital edition of "The Romance of a Doctor's Visits" by Walter Lewis Wilson was initially prepared in September 2002 by Clyde C. Price, Jr. for the Christian Digital Library Foundation and Parakletos Ministries Inc.

In this etext edition, initially prepared and released as a "straight ASCII etext", abbreviated Bible references have been expanded and a few obvious spelling and punctuation mistakes have been corrected (without introducing too many more new ones, I hope!). The few italicized words in the printed book have mostly been simply capitalized. I also numbered the sections. While this digital version constitutes a new and separate edition, "editing" has been restrained to the barest minimum. If you find obvious typographical errors and/or places where the digital text disagrees with your own printed copy of the book, please email your corrections/problem-reports to me.

I included in the etext the advertisement on the last page of the book, listing much of the Moody Colportage Library. Some of these titles are already available as etexts, but CDLF is particularly interested in obtaining copies of all those not yet digitally preserved, and in producing digital editions of them. If you own copies of any of these books which you would be willing to donate to us OR to retype onto computer yourself OR to scan and send us the scan-images, please let us know, preferably via email. This invitation would apply also to other Christian books which should be preserved and digitally republished.

At this writing, CDLF's "umbrella" organization, Parakletos Ministries Inc. is "in-process" for our USA IRS 501(c)(3) paperwork to become a recognized non-profit organization capable of writing tax-deductible receipts for USA-originated donations. We would welcome your donation of books (even libraries!), your time as a volunteer editor, and should the Lord lead you, even of some of your money.

This etext was created without asking anybody's permission, on the assumption that its copyright protection, which was not renewed at the end of its term, has expired; and based on that assumption is in turn freely issued into free digital distribution. Conversion into other document formats is not only permitted, but encouraged. We ask you, on a principle of accountability, to include these CDLF origin-statements in subsequent editions based upon this edition.

Clyde C. PRICE, Jr. h-678-393-1782, m-678-491-0469 reply to: <ccprice@bellsouth.net> 11770 Haynes Bridge Rd., Suite 205 Box 214, Alpharetta, GA 30004 USA Founder & President, the Christian Digital Library Foundation <http://cdlf.org>. CDLF is looking for Scribes, Eager Readers, and other friends to enjoy, distribute, and produce digital Christian books and other resources to build up the Body of Christ. Vice President, Parakletos Ministries Inc. PM seeks to support the ministries of local churches in building evangelizing Kingdom-seeking disciples. "To know Christ, and to make Him known, as the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

This e-text was converted into HTML by Pastor David at bibleteacher.org, with the kind permission of Brother Clyde C. Price. Errors in markup, internet formatting, and color/ readability should be addressed to Pastor David.

(Published) Chicago,
The Bible Institute Colportage Ass'n
843-845 North Wells Street
1837 -- D. L. Moody Centenary -- 1937

Copyright, 1935 <expired and not renewed>, by The Bible Institute Colportage Association of Chicago This book is No. 162 in the Moody Colportage Library Price 20 cents Printed in the United States of America

The physician is often the sacred repository of the secrets and heart problems of his patients. Not only do they frequently tell the family doctor about their physical ailments, but also their financial problems, their domestic difficulties, and sometimes their spiritual desires.

The Christian physician is best able to serve his patients, for at times he will earnestly and wisely seek to adjust spiritual difficulties, as well as administer physical relief. With his medical case in hand and a Bible in his pocket, he will find many opportunities for the use of both; and will usually leave the patient relieved of his physical sufferings, but better still with the peace of God in his heart.

The stories recorded in this book are true incidents in the life of the writer, although the names and the town are veiled, lest some offence might be given. No attempt has been made to keep these incidents in chronological order.

It is hoped that by means of the illustrations herein given and the anecdotes related, soul winners may be able to deal more efficiently with hungry hearts, and more capably use the Scriptures in soul winning work.

These messages and illustrations are presented with earnest prayer that the relating of them will influence other hearts to accept the Saviour, remove the doubts of honest inquirers, and unveil the Lord Jesus Christ to souls who are seeking peace and finding none.

Walter Lewis Wilson

Kansas City, Missouri, USA

<4>

A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHERS

The readers of this fascinating book will be pleased to learn that the author is the most popular broadcaster in the Southwest, over the KANSAS CITY STAR radio station WDAF (610 Kilocycles; 5,000 watts).

For the past ten years, Dr. Wilson has been broadcasting messages of salvation and hope, comfort and cheer, and has been heard by millions of people. At present he is on the air every morning, except Sunday, at 6:45, and the KANSAS CITY STAR estimates that his daily audience aggregate about one million people.

Among those who "listen in" each day are pastors, priests and rabbis. Many Jews, Italians and negroes are friendly toward his encouraging messages. Drug stores, restaurants, and even pool-rooms "tune in" regularly. Cigar stores, located near street corners, often turn on their amplifiers, so that people waiting to transfer on the street cars may listen. Some churches have installed loud speakers so that the Sunday school teachers who gather Saturday mornings for prayer, can listen to the teaching of the Sunday school lesson by Dr. Wilson. In one Catholic hospital, the radio is turned on each morning, so that the patients may hear his comforting messages.

These morning broadcasts over WDAF (6:45 to 7:00) are heard as far away as Baltimore, Md., Albuquerque, N.M., and Calgary, Alta., Canada. As a result, needy souls have been saved, sad hearts have been comforted, broken homes have been restored, and wandering children have been returned to their parents.

Tune in on WDAF some morning at 6:45 and then write Dr. Wilson a letter, if you wish. It will be appreciated. His address is 3524 Wyndotte Street, Kansas City, Mo.

1. A Little Lad Stopped Praying 7

2. The Nurse Found That Her Debt Was Paid 9

3. A Dead Undertaker Came to Life 12

4. Are You Bad Enough to Go to Hell? 15

5. How Many Sins Are Against You? 20

6. The Worst Sin in the Best Stenographer 24

7. Soul Winning at Sixty Miles an Hour 27

8. Singing at Eighty 31

9. What Happened When Two Judges Met 34

10. A Santa Fe Engineer Stopped at the Semaphore 37

11. Is Gertrude First or Jesus? 40

12. Little Joe With a Big Question 43

13. A Birth Between the Rails 46

14. A Troubled Pool Found Peace 50

15. An Unusual Pullman Experience 52

16. The Case of the Japanese Barber 57

17. A Darkened Heart Surrounded by Light 60

18. The Preacher Found Christ 64

19. He brought His Night-Shirt 68

20. The Worst Woman in the Church 71

21. His Only "Forgotten" Son 76

22. God Visited the Circus 79

23. "Gee! Would You Save Me?" 82

24. The Police Officer Took the Wrong Hat 88

25. "Not Unless You Take It" 92

26. Weir Seir of the Prison 96

27. The Paper Carrier Made a Discovery 100

28. The High School Teacher Was Changed 107

29. The Lodge Organist Saw Something 112

30. A Giant Learned What Love Is 116

31. Jack Was Saved But Died 120

* * *

Hints and Helps for Personal Soul Winners 124

At the close of an evening service in which I had endeavored to make known God's way of salvation, clearly and plainly, I went to the door of the church to greet the friends as they passed out. Standing by the door was a gentleman holding a lad of about twelve years of age by the hand. It was his son and he was in tears.

The father approached me, saying, "Doctor, Jimmie would like to be saved. Will you talk with him?"

I knew the little lad well, and knew that he had been raised in a home where the Bible was read and where prayer was offered to God daily. I said to the little fellow: "Would you like the Lord Jesus to save you tonight?"

"Yes, I would," he replied, "But I do not know how to come to Jesus; I cannot find Him."

Taking his hand, I led him to the front of the church in order to escape the noise of the friends who were visiting around the door. Up in the choir-loft we could be alone. There I said to him, "Jimmie, will you kneel with me and thank the Lord Jesus for everything that you can thank Him for?"

"Yes," he said, "I will do that."

"Very well, Jimmie, if you will do that, I will tell you some additional things to be thankful for."

We then knelt together to pray. I prayed first and thanked the Saviour for His wonderful work at Calvary, and for His Word of truth. I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal the Lord Jesus to the heart of this dear boy, and to open his understanding so that he would know the value and the virtue of the precious blood of Christ.

When I had ceased, little Jimmie prayed, saying, "Lord Jesus, I thank Thee for coming to this earth to save me. I thank Thee for dying on the cross for my sins. I thank Thee for coming to be my Saviour."

There was a silence after this. I was bowed at the chair with my eyes closed, and waited quite a while for Jimmie to continue, but he did not. When the silence became embarrassing, I looked around to see what Jimmie was doing, and found he was kneeling upright on his knees and smiling at me.

"Why did you stop praying?" I asked.

"Because," he said, "I just found out that Jesus really did it."

The joy of the Lord filled his face, the tears had stopped, and his smile told of the inward peace.

While he was thanking the Saviour, the Spirit revealed the truth of the statements he had heard from the Scriptures. He had known what the Bible said about Christ and His work at the cross, but he had not believed that it was for himself. He had not personally applied it to his own soul. He had not realized that the Lord Jesus came to save him, as though there was no one else to save.

Jimmie was a new boy. He hurried back to his father with a buoyant step and a radiant spirit to tell him that Jesus really did it. He is now a grown lad, carrying his Bible and seeking to live a life pleasing to the One who bought him with His precious blood.

How often people make the mistake of believing the facts without applying them to their own hearts! To acknowledge the truth of the gospel is not sufficient; it must be applied to the soul and accepted personally in order to have value. The fact that Christ is a wonderful Saviour is a blessed truth. Each one, however, must come to Him personally and accept Him as his own personal Lord and Saviour (John 1:12). To believe that a doctor is able to prescribe the proper remedy is only to acknowledge the truth of the facts. To engage that doctor to handle your own case, and to take charge of you and your disease, brings the application of the facts to your own life. Do not miss heaven by missing the Saviour!

How often we find in Christian homes a belief of the facts and an orthodox faith in the Bible without the personal acceptance of Jesus Christ, and without a personal washing in the blood of the Lamb. These are absolutely essential

A Christian nurse in a certain great hospital was as interested in the souls of those about her as she was in the bodies of her patients. She was particularly interested in the other nurses with whom she constantly associated. The duties of these nurses and the hours during which they must serve kept many of them from attending religious services, and therefore it was no uncommon thing for them to drift away from the faith which they had learned at home.

Upon one occasion, this saved nurse brought with her to the church another nurse who had expressed a desire to hear the gospel preached by a physician. I saw the two girls in the service and knew that one of them was a stranger. At the close of the meeting, my friend brought the new nurse forward and introduced her. Thinking immediately of her salvation, I asked, "Are you a saved nurse, or are you a lost nurse?"

"Oh," she replied, "I am a Christian; I joined the church twelve years ago."

"It is certainly a pleasure to know that you are interested in these matters; but do you know that there are two kinds of church members?"

"No," she said, "what are they?"

"Saved ones and lost ones," I answered; "I wonder which kind you are!"

This reply seemed to be a little disconcerting to the nurse, and she did not answer at once. I could see the Christian nurse off at one side, quietly praying that the Lord would do a good work in the heart of her friend. How blessed it is that we may help the soul winner by prayer and so have a part in the harvest!

After a few thoughtful moments, the nurse looked up and said, "Really, doctor, I do not know whether I am saved or lost. I came to this service to find out. I am not at all clear in my mind about the way of salvation and feel that I should know."

"Did you ever sing that beautiful hymn, 'Jesus Paid It All'?"

"Oh, yes," she said, "that is in almost every hymn book that I have seen. It is an old song, and I like it very much."

"Well, tell me, nurse, did Jesus pay it all for you, or did He not?"

Again, the nurse bowed her head in meditation. She was a thoughtful girl and was not to be hurried into any statement that she did not understand. Finally, she said, as she looked up, "I wish I knew whether He did pay it all. I do not feel that He has."

I answered at once, "Would you prefer to go by YOUR FEELINGS in the matter, or would you be willing to believe what the Word of God says about it?"

"I do not want to be fooled," she answered, "I want to know the truth. What does the Bible say about it?"

"'It is finished'," I replied. "Jesus said this on the cross as He was dying for you, and it is recorded in John 19:30. If He said, 'It is finished,' surely it MUST BE finished, do you not think so? Again, let me ask you, nurse, did Jesus finish the work of salvation for you, and did He pay all of your debt?"

We had been standing by the pulpit, but when she heard these words and this question, she turned from me, stepped over a little to the front row of seats and knelt down with her head and arms upon the seat. I slipped over quickly and knelt beside her to hear what she was saying to the Lord, and these were her words: "Lord Jesus, I never knew before that You had paid my debt on the cross. I knew you had died for sinners, but I did not know that it was for ME. You DID pay my debt, and you said, 'It is finished'; I thank you for it, Lord Jesus. I believe my debt is paid, and oh, what a peace you have given to my heart."

The saved nurse also had knelt on the other side of her friend, and as this simple prayer of faith was ended, we both said, "Amen," and thanked God for another work of grace in a hungry heart.

It was not convenient for me to visit that particular hospital again for a number of days, perhaps a week. When I did go, I sought to find the newly saved nurse and to see whether she had really trusted Christ, and if she had His peace and joy in her heart. I found that she was working on one of the upper floors and was in the diet kitchen. Approaching the kitchen, I looked through the serving window and saw my friend in the far corner of the room making up some fresh trays. Calling to her, I said, "Nurse, tell me, did Jesus pay it all, or did He fail in the attempt?"

She stopped her work, hurried quickly to the window, and with her face wreathed in smiles, and with happiness in her heart, said, "Doctor, Jesus DID pay it all; He paid it ALL for ME. If you had told me two weeks ago that it was possible for a person to have heaven on earth as I have had it this week, I would have laughed at you and thought it was preposterous. Now I have heaven in my heart, for I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ."

You, too, may enjoy heaven on earth if you will only learn to know and love the Saviour who "Paid it ALL."

In the beautiful little city of C---, there was a home filled with sorrow. The mother had been called away by the Lord, leaving a grief-torn family and many sorrowing friends who loved her dearly.

Through the radio in this home, the Lord had spoken to their hearts, and in the hour of their distress they requested me to come and conduct the funeral service -- the invitation coming through a relative who was a close friend of mine.

A cold rain was falling on the day of the funeral, and the road to the cemetery was not paved. Because of the deep mud on the road, I decided to leave my car in the town; and so I asked permission of the undertaker to ride with him in the hearse to the cemetery. This request he readily granted.

As we drove along slowly through the mire, I said to him -- he was a young man of about thirty, "What do you suppose the Bible means by saying, 'Let the dead bury their dead'?" (Matthew 8:22)

"There isn't any Scripture like that in the Bible," he very promptly replied.

"Yes, there is," I assured him.

"Well," he answered, "it must be a wrong translation, because it doesn't make any sense. How could a dead person bury a dead person?"

"No, it is not a wrong translation," I said. "These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself. He always spoke words of truth, and did not play with the feelings nor the imaginations of His hearers."

The young undertaker flipped the cigarette he was smoking out of the window, and said, "Do you know anything about me, doctor? Has anyone told you about my life?"

"No," I replied, "Why do you ask?"

"Because I have been burying many people lately, and it has caused me to think about my own case. Last night after supper, I got out the Bible and read until two o'clock this morning, trying to find out how to become a Christian."

"Did you find out how to be one?" I inquired.

"No," he said, "when I finished I was just as much in the dark as before; but tell me, what did Jesus mean by those words?"

The peculiar passage was so suited to this man's mind, that it was an easy matter now to tell him about the Saviour. I said to him: "You are a dead undertaker in the front of this hearse, driving out to the cemetery to bury the dead friend in the back of the hearse. That friend is dead to her family, and you are dead to God. She does not respond to their caresses, their calls, their commands; neither do you respond to the call and the love of God."

"You are right about that," he said; "I cannot find God; I cannot talk to Him, for I do not know where He is, nor how to reach Him. Christ is right; I certainly need some kind of a change in my life to make me a real Christian."

The auto was moving slowly, for the road was difficult, and we had plenty of time for conversation. Opening my Bible, I read to him John 10:10 -- "I am come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Explaining the verse, I asserted that Christ Jesus had come to give the dead sinner -- dead in his trespasses and sins -- the gift of eternal life. This life is the life that is in the heart of the Lord Himself. It is a new nature imparted to the soul, so that the person naturally lives a godly life and loves the One who gave him the life.

"May I obtain that life?" he said, "and when may I have it?"

"Just now, right here in this hearse you may accept Jesus Christ"; and I assured him that by trusting this Saviour, believing in His precious blood shed for Him at Calvary, he, too, would receive everlasting life immediately. "Here is the Scripture; let me read it to you slowly, as you drive the car. 'He that hath the son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life' (1 John 5:12). This Saviour is on the throne waiting to give you this life the moment you believe in Him and trust the work that He did for you at Calvary when He died for your sins."

"I'll take Him," he said; "I never did know what the Saviour did when He died, nor why He did it. It never entered my mind that it was for me. Of course it must have been for me, for I know there is no other Saviour and no one that even claims to be. He must have suffered for my sins and I believe it."

We arrived at the cemetery with a LIVE undertaker, though we had started on the journey with a DEAD one. He who was "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1) was now alive in Christ, having trusted Him who gave His life for his salvation. We returned to the city after the burial, and along the slow journey home I had the privilege of telling him further of God's imputed righteousness, the divine gift of pardon, and the blessed forgiveness in grace which is made possible by the shed blood of the Saviour.

Examine your own heart, my friend, and see whether you, too, are "dead" in pleasures and in sins. Christ will give you "LIFE" if you come to Him by faith and trust in Him for your soul's salvation.

On the particular morning when the events of this story transpired, my heart was unusually happy because of a new revelation which the Holy Spirit had given me of Himself on the previous evening. Upon leaving home for the office, I asked the Holy Spirit for the privilege of being His channel that day, so that some heart might be reached by His message and brought to the Lord Jesus Christ.

About ten o'clock, two young ladies entered the office, soliciting advertising for a national magazine. I had often given these friends some business and was now ready for another contract, as they knew. At my invitation, they seated themselves at my desk, one just across the table from me, and the other at my left. Having transacted our business with regard to the advertising contract, and having closed the arrangement, I said to them: "Girls, are you both saved, or are you lost girls on the way to a lost eternity?"

This unusual question greatly surprised both of them. The one sitting opposite me, Miss D---, became quite serious at once. Her sister, at my left, thought it was a great joke, and expressed her feelings by a rather loud outburst of laughter, which was heard throughout the office.

Miss S---, who was seated at my left, was quite sure that someone had been telling me wrong things about herself and her sister. She hastened to assure me that they were both very lovely girls. They taught Sunday school classes in the same church, were raised by a good Christian mother, and never did anything wrong. The older girl, Miss D---, was not quite so sure. She said: "Doctor, I was up last evening until quite late, reading my Bible and wondering if I had everything for salvation that I should have. I do not feel happy about my condition and I would be so glad if you could give me any help."

Opening my Bible to John 3:16, I handed it to Miss D---, and said: "Will you please read this verse slowly and aloud?"

She did so, and added: "I know that verse well and have always believed it."

"But you still feel, do you not, Miss D---, that you are perishing and are still lost?"

"Yes, I do," she answered, "and yet I do not understand why, when I believe all of the Bible."

"It is because you have believed the facts, but this belief has not led you to accept God's gift of His Son. Why do you not take Christ just now? He is the one who will save you from perishing. He will save you this moment, if you will take Him and make Him, just now, your own Lord and Saviour. Will you trust Him with your soul?"

The heart of the young lady responded immediately to the call and with a glad heart she accepted the Saviour, offering her hand to me across the desk in evidence of her sincerity.

Turning to her sister, I said, "Miss S---, it is quite evident that you do NOT believe the Bible."

"I certainly do," she replied, "every word of it."

"I want you to read this passage in Romans three, from verse 9 to verse 19, and tell me whether this description is true of you."

She read it clear through from my Bible which I had handed her, and said emphatically, 'No, sir, indeed it is not true of me; I am not that kind of a woman."

"Very well," said I, "take these scissors (and I handed her mine) and cut this passage out of the Bible, for I do not want anything in my Bible that is not true."

Miss D---, who had trusted the Saviour, spoke to her sister and said, "Sister, you know that you are as bad as that. God always speaks the truth, and you should acknowledge it."

"I know better," she replied, "I have not lived that kind of a life at all."

Interposing in the conversation, I said to Miss S---, "This is not a description of your DEEDS, it is a record of what God sees in your heart."

"I reject it," she answered, "and will not believe that I am as bad as that. I will not cut it out of the Bible, however, for it certainly is true of some folks that I know."

"Perhaps, Miss S---, we can find some other passage in the Bible that IS true of you. Please read this portion in Mark 7:21-23, and tell me whether you think those thirteen things describe your heart correctly."

When she came to verse 23, and read, "All these evil things come from within and defile the man," she spoke rather forcefully, and said, "No sir, most of these things are not true of me, but the last two things are, for I know that both pride and foolishness are often in my life."

Upon hearing this partial confession, I handed Miss S--- a lead pencil, and said, "Will you please write at the end of verse 23, 'All but Miss S---?' since you say that all of these things do not come out of YOUR heart, and we should revise the Bible to make it tell the truth. If you wish, you can write in the margin of my Bible, 'Only the last two things come out of my heart'."

This suggestion did not please Miss S--- at all. She rather resented it, and said, "God wrote the Bible the way He wanted it. I certainly will not presume to add any words to it. These verses may be true of many wicked people, but I tell you again that I do not like that kind of a wicked life."

It was quite evident now that the passages concerning outrageous sins would not appeal to her at all, so I suggested that we turn to another passage and see whether this one might fit her case. The portion turned to was Matthew 13:18-23, with verses 36 to 42. She read the passages aloud and I asked her whether she belonged to the wheat or to the tares. "The tares," I explained, "are plants which look very much like the wheat, resemble the wheat in every respect, grow right in with the wheat, and yet they are not wheat at all, but only hypocrites. No wheat grains are found in the pods on the bearded head. The ordinary person thinks that the tares are wheat, but the expert farmer knows that the tares are only fit for the burning. Which of these are you, Miss S---?"

Lying on her lap was a large brown fur-piece, upon which I saw beaded tears drop. Her head was bowed so that her face could not be seen, but the tears told the story of a heart touched by the power of God and convicted of its need.

"That is a picture of me," she finally said, with sobs. "I have kept up this hypocrisy long enough. I might as well confess what I know to be true in my heart. I have been religious, but I have never been saved. I have been active in the church, but never had peace in my soul. God ought to punish me, for I have been such a hypocrite."

Conviction of sin, when it is of this character, is soon followed by salvation when the gospel is properly presented. Miss D--- saw the sorrow of heart which Miss S--- exhibited, and said to her, "Sister, why do you not accept the Lord Jesus as I have? I know He has saved me, for He died for me and I have trusted Him. Will you not trust Him as I have?"

"Yes, Miss S---," I added, "He calls you and says: 'Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest' (Matthew 11:28). He said to one woman, 'Thy sins are forgiven' (Luke 7:48). He will give you that assurance too, Miss S---, if you will just now acknowledge your need and accept Him and His finished work on the cross. He died for you there, paid the price, bore your sins, took your punishment, and now wants to give you Himself and all the blessed fruits of that wonderful work of Calvary."

"I believe it," she said. "I do accept Him. All along I thought it was religion that I needed, but I never could get any peace in my Christian work and religious services. Of course I could not. I see clearly now that what I needed was the Lord Jesus, and I am so glad I can take Him and know that He blots out all of my sins today."

The two sisters left the office with happy hearts. They were now sisters in the faith, as well as sisters in the flesh. They followed the Lord in baptism shortly afterwards, that they might go all the way with Him.

Are you only a professing Christian, or have you accepted the Saviour and received from Him the gift of eternal life? Do not let Satan deceive you. Do not miss a meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ.