In one of the humble dwellings of the poor, not very far from London, there lived and died, some years ago, a dear, dear little boy, only eight years old. But young though he was, he had learned at the Sunday school to know and love Jesus. At so tender an age, and with bad training at home, we must not suppose that he could know much; but he knew Jesus as his Savior; he knew Him as the One who loved him and died for him on the cross, and who heard and answered his prayers. And this made him happy, and taught him to trust in Jesus and pray to him. But we must leave the reader, and especially our young readers, to draw their own conclusions as to this precious little boy, when they read the account of his last evening in this world.
He was told not to touch the candle before going into his bed; that his mother would come and take it away when she was ready. He was in his little chamber alone, the small candle giving its feeble light. But he was not alone; the presence of Jesus was there, and bright guardian angels watched over him. We will not speak about the poor clothes that he wore, or about no one being there to put him comfortably to bed, like many boys who will read this paper. But look at him in his little room; he kneels down—not to say a prayer which he had learned, and then hurry into bed—but to pray from the heart to Jesus. It would appear that he had been particularly happy that night in prayer, for when his mother came in to take away the candle he was still on his knees praying. “What,” said his mother—who seems to have been a rough and hasty woman— “are you not in your bed yet? I will take away the candle and leave you in the dark.” Sweetly he looked up in her face—his own radiant with the divine presence—and said, “But Jesus could hear me in the dark, mother!” He was soon in bed, the candle was removed; but that night Jesus hushed His precious lamb to sleep on His own bosom, to awake no more in this wilderness world.
The following morning his mother began to wonder why he was not making his appearance as usual, and going into his room she saw he was still in bed. In throwing down the clothes to give him a shake, her hand touched a cold and lifeless body. Her boy was dead. His happy soul had gone to be with the Jesus he loved. His poor unhappy mother could never again disturb him when praying, or leave him in the dark. He was now in that “happy land, far, far away”—far away from the darkness of night; far away from all unkind looks and words; far away from cold and hunger. “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light; and they shall reign forever and ever.” “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the. midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Rev. 22:5; 7:16, 175And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:5)
16They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Revelation 7:16‑17).
“That beautiful land, the city of light,
It never has known the shades of night;
The glory of God, the light of day,
Hath driven the darkness far away.”
Many a little boy and girl too, have been deeply affected by hearing the story of this dear boy; and thousands more will yet be interested when they read in “Things New and Old” of the last evening he spent in his little chamber; and they will be sure and remember that he was only eight years old. But he loved Jesus very much, because he believed that Jesus loved him, and had washed all his sins away in His precious blood, and made him quite fit to be with Him in heaven. And perhaps Jesus was angry with his mother for telling him he ought not to have prayed so long, and for threatening to leave him in the dark. “Go,” He may have said to the angels that surround His throne; “Go, mad bring up to Me the soul of that little boy.” And bright angels come at His command; they fly on rapid wing to do His will. And though no kind mother or tender nurse were there to lift up his head when he was dying, and ask him if he would like a little water, or even to moisten his parched lips or cool his burning’ brow, the angels of God were there, thronging around his little bed, and watching for his last breath. And the moment his breathing stopped, and the heart ceased to beat, his happy soul left the body, and the angels laid it on their soft and downy wings, and carried it to heaven. Our little boy-readers will remember that this is just what Jesus Himself tells us about a poor man that died long ago. “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into, Abraham’s bosom.” Luke 16:2222And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; (Luke 16:22).
“Around the throne of God in heaven,
Thousands of children stand:
Children whose sins are all forgiven,
A holy, happy band, Singing glory, glory, glory.”
And now, would not every little boy and every little girl, who reads this touching story, like to be as happy as that poor boy was? And would they not like if they were to be taken ill and die, to be carried by the beautiful angels straight up to heaven? They would not like, we know, to be seized by the evil angels and dragged down to hell—that awful place—how different to where the happy little boy is? There, all are perfectly happy. No tears will ever fall from their eyes in heaven. Their white robes will never be stained with a single tear. They sing there, but never weep; they praise the Lamb unceasingly; they shout for joy, but shed no tears. Poor little boys often cry in this world because they are cold and hungry; but all those who believe in Jesus and go to be with Him forever, shall be cold no more, hungry no more, and cry no more. Jesus, who loved them and washed them from their sins in His precious blood, takes care of them now. They follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. He leads them with His own loving hand. They eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God, and they drink of the pure river of the water of life which flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb. They will never be cold, or hungry, or thirsty, or persecuted any more. They have reached their happy home, the new Jerusalem, the city of their God and Father.
“We sing of the realms of the blest,
That country so bright and so fair,
And oft are its glories confessed,
But what must it be to be there?
We speak of its pathways of gold,
Its walls decked with jewels so rare;
Its wonders and pleasures untold—
But what must it be to be there?”
But our dear young readers, we sincerely hope and pray, will not forget that there is another place besides “the realms of the blest, with its walls decked with jewels so rare;” and children who care nothing for Jesus are in danger of going to that awful place. For we know there are many children who are more than eight years old, that soon grow weary of prayer, and of hearing about Jesus. And if they were to live and die in that careless state, and their sins unpardoned, the gates of heaven would be shut against them, and the gates of hell would be open to receive them. Then all hope would perish and the agonies of despair begin. All the cold and hunger, and sufferings of every kind in this world, are nothing compared with the torments of that place. The weary soul may say, “O, where shall I find rest?” But no rest can be found in hell. “O, where shall I find water? I am parched with thirst.” But no water can be found in hell. Oh, when shall these flames be quenched? “But the awful answer is never, never.” There is nothing to be seen or heard all around, but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. The tears are falling in floods, but there is no kind hand now to wipe them away. And all this must be forever and ever.
Surely our clear young friends will hesitate no longer as to which of these places is to be theirs forever. Surely they will be careless about Jesus and their precious souls no inure. Surely they will come to Jesus now, and pray to Him like that dear little boy. Come, then, O come, dear children; O come to Jesus—the Jesus who died on the cross for you—the Jesus who shed His precious blood to wash your sins away, and make you whiter than snow. O believe in Jesus, love Jesus, trust in. Jesus, pray to Jesus, seek always to please Jesus, and rejoice in the hope of being happy with Jesus, where you will wave your palm and wear your crown forever. “Suffer little children to come unto me,” are His own sweet and blessed words, “and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.’’ Mark 10:1414But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. (Mark 10:14).
“How loving is Jesus, who came from the sky,
In tenderest pity, for sinners to die!
His hands and His feet were nailed to the tree,
And all this He suffered for sinners like me.
How precious is Jesus to all who believe,
And out of His fullness what grace they receive!
When weak He supports them, when erring he guides,
And everything needful He kindly provides.
How gladly does Jesus free pardon impart
To all who receive Him by faith in their heart:
Bright glory is theirs, their home is above,
And Jesus will take them to dwell in His love.”