WHEN a boy, I read and heard of little boys being converted, and then soon afterwards dying. Afterwards I did not like to hear or read of children being converted, lest I should find out that they had died; and I was quite afraid of being converted myself, lest I should die also.
Now, I do not doubt many of my dear young readers have the same feelings that I once had about being saved while they are young. But God had His own way with me, and was pleased to save me When I was young, and that is many years ago, and since then I have been trying to the best of my ability, by the grace of God to serve and please Him who gave His own Son to die for me on the cross.
So you see, my dear young friends, not all who are converted young die immediately afterwards.
I will now tell you about a dear boy who was converted at twelve years of age.
I had been asked to address a Sunday-school at C—. There were about four hundred scholars in the school, and I addressed them three Sunday afternoons following each other.
The first Sunday afternoon while I was speaking about Jesus dying and shedding HIS precious blood to wash away the sins of little boys and girls, the blessed Spirit of God made many of my young hearers very anxious to be washed from all their sins in “the blood of the Lamb.”
Many professed to be saved that afternoon, and also the two Sunday afternoons following. My young friend W—R—was there on the first occasion. He had a praying father and mother; but he was not himself saved, and he did not want to be, because he thought that if he were, he would have to give up all his little pleasures, amusements, and companions, and that he would become very miserable. So he went away, determined that he would not come to Jesus. Nevertheless, the Spirit’ of God was striving with him, and made him very unhappy, causing him to see and feel that there is no real happiness out of Christ.
The second Sunday afternoon, W—R — was there again, and though many others were in tears, he appeared to be quite unmoved.
He was not really so, only he was listening to the wicked, lying suggestions of Satan. Thus he spent a second week rejecting Christ; and all who reject Him must be very unhappy, while all who receive Him are very happy, and are quite ready for His second coming, or for death.
Well, the third afternoon arrived for me to give my last address to the dear young people, and W—R— was there again; and while I was speaking of the love of God, the preciousness of the blood of Jesus, the hatefulness of sin, the blessedness of being saved, and the awfulness of living and dying without Christ, W— R— (as he ,told me afterwards), felt the burden of his sin to be so heavy that it seemed as if it would press him right through the floor into hell. In his distress he cried to Jesus to remove the terrible burden of unforgiven sin, and he simply looked in faith to Jesus where he was kneeling, and in a moment he said the burden was removed, his soul found rest, and his heart was filled with joy; and looking up, his eyes met the clock, and it wanted exactly “ten minutes to three.”
Yes, at “ten minutes to three,” on the second Sunday-afternoon in March, 18—, God gave W—R— to know that his sins were all forgiven. His soul was saved, and he there and then found happiness in Christ.
It is now many years since God. saved W—R—, and as I write he is living still, a very consistent, godly, young man, working for the blessed Lord, who loved him and gave Himself for him, and he has been used to bring many precious souls to Jesus among both the young and the old.
And now, my dear young friends, will you not come at once by faith to Jesus, and find rest in Him? Look at once to Him by faith, and be saved for ever. Receive Him at once as God’s gift of eternal life. Give the blessed Lord the sunrise, meridian, and sunset of your life, and then, living or dying, you are the Lord’s and ready for His second coming, or for death; and should He spare your life, and leave you in this evil world a little longer, you will be able, by His grace, to live and work for Him.
ML 01/06/1924