It was Saturday night. The trains had brought into the town a goodly number of country shoppers, and in consequence the main street was well filled.
Where the throng was most numerous an old man stood back on a side street and proclaimed God's glad tidings.
"What you need, my friends," he was saying, "is life—God's gift of eternal life. Yes, it is free; it is a gift without money and without price. For whosoever will!
"Whosoever! That is for you, for me, for everybody who will believe in the One whom God sent.
"'For God so loved the world,'"—and here the words were uttered as if they were a grand theme in the heart of the speaker—" 'that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'
"None can work for it. No churchgoing, no almsgiving, no good works can buy it. You may go to church all your life, and go to hell at the finish. You may live a respectable life, always doing good works, and hell may be your portion at the end.
"There is no life in doing the best you can. It is something like my wooden leg," and the aged preacher stumped a few paces in emphasis of his statement.
"It has no life in it, but it is very useful; in fact, I could not get on without it. But I could chop it off, and it would make no material difference to my body. It is only strapped on, and has no life connection.
"Good deeds, religiousness, and the best you can do are nice enough in their way; but there is nothing in them to fit you for God's presence.
"God offers life connection with Himself through His beloved Son. Will you have it? None can merit it, but it is the gift of God to poor, needy sinners who will believe in God's provided Savior. Own to Him your lost condition! Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and receive God's great gift of eternal life.”