THE BUSY streets of the great city were thronged with the crowds of men, women and children, all hastening home at the close of the day’s work.
At one corner of the road a crowd had gathered. An open-air gospel service was being held, and the earnest voice of the young man who was telling out the good news of God’s love arrested each passer-by for a few moments at any rate.
Then from one of the neighboring houses out came Jim Macroe, a chimney-sweep, well known as one who scoffed at all who took their place as followers of Christ. He walked briskly down the road, his long brushes balanced on one shoulder, still full of the soot from his last chimney.
“What’s up here?” he exclaimed as the crowd caught his eye. “A meeting? I’ll soon settle these folk,” he added, with a twinkle in his eye. “I’ve only got to bust into that ring, flourish my brushes a bit, and there’ll be few folks left to hear the preach-in’ after that.”
He was on the point of putting his plan into practice, when he caught the eye of the speaker who discovered his intention in a moment. The crowd separated to avoid the black brushes, and the sweep stood for a moment, hesitating to advance.
“Friend,” said the speaker, looking into Jim’s black face, “do you know that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die for you?”
Jim stood as though rooted to the spot. The crowd waited breathlessly to hear what would follow.
“Will you say that again, sir?” said Jim at length. Slowly and impressively the young speaker repeated: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
As the sweet old gospel message rang out above the din of the traffic, the poor sweep was deeply moved. Tears filled his eyes, and then flowed down his grimy cheeks. For some moments he was unable to speak. Then in a voice broken with the depth of his feelings, he sobbed out, “Sir, I’ve got five great boys at home, and I wouldn’t give the worst of them for the best man in this city. If God loved me, a great black sinner, like that, then His must be a wonderful love.”
And there, in that very spot where he had sought to disturb the work of God, he found out that he was a sinner and that the love of God reached even to him. From then on there was a great change in him, for “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” 2 Corinthians 5:1717Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17). His old companions soon saw the difference in their old mate, and many of them heard from Jim the story of God’s love. His one theme put into a few lines was —“O it is wonderful That He should care for me Enough to die for me! O it is wonderful, Wonderful to me!”
ML-07/27/1969