One morning a mother and two little girls went for a walk along the top of the cliffs, but the mother got tired and wanted to rest, so sat down under the shade of a tree and did some needle-work, while the children ran over the field picking buttercups and daisies.
But I must tell you that before the little ones went to pick the flowers, their mother made them promise to come back to her as soon as she called out the one word, Come!
“I will not call you a minute before I want you, but you must come at once the moment I do call you.”
These children were trained to do what they were told, and not allowed to have their own way, as so many children are now After a time, as the youngest was, just stooping to pick a flower, such a lovely butterfly flew off it, and she said,
“O, I’ll catch you, Mr. Butterfly!” But the butterfly flitted about just above her head, and seemed to be teasing her; he did not want to be caught, and when she said,
“I’ll have you,” I almost fancy he must have laughed at her and said, “But you can’t catch me, little girlie!”
As she took off her sun-bonnet and chased him up and down the field, and many times nearly caught him, he always managed to escape! On, on, on, went the little girl, till her sister noticed that she was very near the edge of the precipice, and ran frightened to her mother with such a startled look upon her face; but words failed her, and she was white and trembling.
The lady jumped up, and saw her darling child close to the edge of the precipice, and so she cried out loudly the one word “Come!” The child turned round directly, and ran to her mother.
“O, mother, I nearly caught such a pretty butterfly, if you had not called me so soon I believe I should have had him, but. I knew that I must come the moment you called!”
The lady led her to the edge of the precipice, and said, “If my darling had not come directly she heard me call Come, she would now have been dashed to pieces on the rocks below.”
And Jesus is calling you to Come and be saved, for all things are now ready, and He wants you to come now, and promises to wash all your sins away, and make you as white as snow.
But how many there are who are rung after the butterfly pleasures of the world; things that cannot possibly satisfy their souls, and forget that any moment. they may fall over the precipice from time into eternity, and he lost forever Will you come to Jesus now?
ML 07/09/1939