Not every boy and girl who reads this book has come to Jesus, though very probably every one has been invited very often to do so.
"Come here, Edward," we said to a little boy the other day, and the child came; but how did he come? His body came, but not his heart. He walked unwillingly and held down his head, and his face seemed to say, " I do not want to come."
Many young people go to hear the word of God preached, or to the places where their parents worship, very much as little Edward came to his father. But that is not coming to Jesus. That is not accepting His loving invitation.
" Come," said a mother to her babe, and immediately the little creature stretched out its arms and smiled a glad answer. The babe could neither walk nor talk, yet it came, in a sense, to its mother. That is, its heart went to her. This is the way in which we go to Jesus. Our hearts say, " Yes, Lord, we come to Thee."
The gracious word of God contains very many invitations, both in the Old and in the New Testaments. Jesus said "Come" many times when He was here upon this earth.
" Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out," (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)) are some of His inviting words. The words and the invitation are so simple that the youngest may understand the Lord. You need rather examples and exhortations than explanations. We cannot, then, do better than relate to you some stories of children who listened to the Lord's word Come.
HOW LITTLE JANIE CANE TO JESUS.
A little girl, named Janie, went to a Sunday-school, where she had a kind teacher, who was very anxious that all the dear children in her class should be saved, so she used to plead with them to come "now," whilst they were still young, and rest alone in Jesus. And she told them, what I daresay many of the dear children who read this have been often told, that it is much easier to come "now," whilst they are young, since every day adds fresh sins to the long black list; and she also told them of the dreadful judgment coming upon all who are not saved.
Little Janie listened very attentively, and the thought of judgment, of being lost forever, of what a dreadful thing it is to be a sinner, made a deep impression upon her mind. In truth the Holy Spirit was working with her, and when bed-time came on that Sunday evening, it was with a heavy heart that she lay down. Janie went to bed, but not to sleep, and she wished and longed that she was saved; her sorrow increased the more she thought of being shut out of heaven, until at last, about tow o'clock in the morning, she could bear it no longer, but jumped out of bed, and called, "Father! Father!"
Her father came up to her room, and she said, "Oh, father, do pray for me; I don't want to be lost forever. Father, how can I be saved? "
Janie's father could not very well answer his little girl's question, so he bade her say her prayers and go to bed.
Janie went to bed again, but the load at her heart was still there. "Oh," she kept saying, "I do wish I was saved; how can I be saved?" when all at once she remembered that her teacher had said there was "nothing for anyone to do, but that we had only to come, just as we are, to Jesus." Janie then wondered which was the right way to go. If Jesus had only been on earth it would have been easy; but she forgot that Jesus is more easy to go to now than when He was upon earth. At length she raised herself up in bed, and suiting the action to the word, she said, " Here I am, Lord Jesus; take me just as I am." And her load went; she felt so happy, her tears were turned into joy, and she was from that moment saved, and safe in the arms of Jesus.
H. N.
THE RAGGED BOY.
Thousands of children were assembling in a great hall one Saturday afternoon, where there was to be a children's meeting, and outside the door stood a boy, whose ragged clothes and bare feet made him feel that there was no place for him among the rows of neatly-dressed children that he could get a glimpse of through the doorway. He longed to go in, for it looked so comfortable inside, and he wanted to find out what all those children were going there for. A lady, when passing in, noticed his eager little face, and asked him if he would like to go to the meeting. He said he should, but that he wasn't fit.
"Oh, never mind your clothes," said the lady, "come with me, and I will find you a seat."
The boy followed the lady who placed him in a corner where he would be able to see the speaker and yet could scarcely be seen himself. He was full of curiosity, wondering what was going to be done, when presently two gentlemen came on to the platform, at the end of the room, and then the business of the afternoon began. One of the gentleman, coming forward, said, "Let us pray," and then spoke some words which the little fellow could not understand; but the child wondered why all bowed their heads and covered their faces. After a time the heads were raised, and the gentleman read some words from the Bible, and after that, the other who had come in with him, sang a beautiful hymn about a sheep that had strayed away from its shepherd, and, as he listened to the hymn, this ragged boy could not help crying, though he could hardly have told anyone why he cried.
Presently the speaker gave out the text for his address: "I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep." And then he spoke to the children simply and earnestly about Jesus-of that great love of His that brought Him from His home in heaven, to suffer and die on earth for sinful creatures like ourselves-to give Himself for us, that we might be His own forever. He told them that Jesus was like a loving shepherd, caring and watching over His sheep and lambs, and going in search of those who had strayed away. He ended by asking which of the children were wishing to be lambs of the Good Shepherd, and to have Him for their Savior, and waited for an answer.
One and another answered, " I am," from all parts of the building. Then he asked all those who had answered to stand up, and amongst them the poor little ragged boy stood up. He had been too shy to answer, but he did not mind standing up.
The lady who had taken him in, saw him, and as soon as the service was over she went to him, and talked to him. "So you wish to be one of Jesus' little lambs?" she said.
"Yes," he answered; "but I am not quite sure that I know the way."
"You heard all the gentleman said about the Lord Jesus; did you believe it?"
"Yes," said the child.
"Do you believe He asks you to come to Him?"
"Yes, I do."
"Do you believe that He died to save sinners?"
"Yes," answered the boy, after being silent a minute.
"Then you may believe that you are one of His little lambs. Jesus will not cast you out."
This lady was very kind to the poor boy; she found out where he lived, got him some regular work to do, took him to a class in the Sunday-school, and helped him in many ways, and he is now serving the Lord, and trying to lead more children to " Come to Jesus."
J. S.
OH! JESUS, HE IS KINDNESS.
His heart is full of kindness,
Sweet words He hath to tell;
Come, listen to Him, children,
For He loves children well;
And many to Him gather,
From every clime and land;
Come, welcome, happy children,
And join the holy band.
Oh, Jesus, He is kindness;
Jesus the Lord is love;
How sweet to hear Him speaking
To us from heaven above.
He on the cross once suffered;
Nails pierced His hands and feet;
But all His pain and sorrow
Make us for heaven meet.
His blood our sin-stain cleanses,
And takes our guilt away;
Come, welcome, happy children,
For Jesus says you may.
He, He Himself will keep you,
He'll hold you in His hand,
He'll never let you perish,
But you shall reach His land-
The lovely, lovely country,
All bright, and sweet, and fair;
Come, welcome, happy children,
And all His glory share.