At the sea-side, boys often climb up the face of the cliffs and sometimes are unable, after getting up a distance, to get either up or down.
I remember seeing a boy in this position on the Devonshire coast. He, like many others, thought he could climb from the shore to the top of the cliff, but when half-way up he could make no further progress, and now he found he could not get down either.
A rope from above was of no avail; he could only hold fast to the rocks and shout for help. If he let go to grasp the rope he might fall to the bottom and be greatly injured, even if he did not lose his life.
Just then the boy’s father came along, and seeing his son’s plight, began himself to go up to help him if possible. We watched him as he stepped from rock to rock, but he could not get very far, and soon gave it up. He could not save the boy.
By this time the lad was quite tired of clinging to the cliffs, and feeling that his feet might slip at any moment, he began to shout, “Save me! Save me!”
Oh, how thankful we then were to see a boat row up to the spot, and two or three sailors jump out of it. They were used to climbing, and soon reached the boy, who was almost ready to drop to the ground with fatigue; but they were just in time, and little by little they brought him down the face of the cliff, till at last we saw him standing safely on the beach.
Now you can easily see that in order to save the boy from falling and to help him down, two things were necessary.
The will to do it, and the power to do it. The father wished to help his boy, and he did what he could, but he had not really the power, and if no other help had come his son must have perished.
But oh, how different it was with the sailors. They had both the heart and the power.
They were not only able to go to his rescue, but they were willing also, and so the boy was saved.
Now I have told you this story to once more illustrate what every boy and girl wants in order to save them from falling under the judgment due to their sins. We all need One who is both able and willing to save us.
Do you remember a man who came to the Lord Jesus, and said to Him, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean”? How quickly Jesus said to him, “I will, be thou clean.”
Will you go to Him and tell Him your great, great need of a Saviour, and you will find He is not only able but willing to save you.
“MY LITTLE FRIEND.”
“Faith in Christ will save me;
Trust in Him the risen One,
Trust the work that He has done;
To His arms I now, may run,
Faith in Christ will save me.”
ML 01/28/1900