Poor, disappointed Tom! He turned once more to catch a last glimpse of the happy children—some crowding round their kind friend, some swinging in the branches of the trees, others feeding the swans upon the banks of the lake— and then he turned away, flung himself down upon the roadside, and cried bitterly, but it was TOO LATE.
After some time had passed, Tom heard the sound of a horn, and saw the children gathered together round the gentleman, whilst he talked to them for a little while. As he laid close to the hedge, they were very near him, and he could hear most of what passed.
“Children,” said the master, “I want to know whether you are enjoying yourselves today?”
“Yes, thank you, Sir,” they shouted. “What time did you get here?”
“Ten o’clock, Sir.”
“Was that the hour I invited you to come?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“If you had reached the gates at eleven, would you have been admitted?”
“No, Sir; we should then have been too late.”
“Suppose I were to give you another invitation to a far more beautiful place, and were to tell you exactly when to go, would you go?”
“Oh yes,” they eagerly cried.
“Well then, listen. There is One who lives in a bright happy land called heaven, who has given an invitation to little children, on earth to spend a long time with Him there, a time that will never end. He sees them down here, often unhappy, often naughty, caring very little for Him, and yet He loves them and wants them to be happy for ever with Him, Did I come and invite you myself, yesterday?”
“No, Sir, you sent a message by your servant.”
“Well, today the Lord Jesus sends a message to you through me. How will you treat it? Will you turn away and care no more about it? Will you go on with your games or your work and slight His kindness? or will you thank Him with all your heart, believe the good news, and look forward to the day when you will be happy with Jesus?”
Many of the little ones put up their hands to show that they did wish to hear about it, and to go to that bright world above.
The gentleman smiled kindly at them. “Many,” he said, “say they would like to go, but very few will listen and attend to what God says about the way of getting there.”
“Now I want you to listen very attentively while I put before you God’s message, and you must try and remember three or four things about it. First, the invitation is to all. God invites every little child, as well as men and women. No matter how naughty they may have been, no matter whether they are black or white, He says, WHOSOEVER WILL, LET HIM COME. Secondly, there is nothing to pay. Now, there was something to nay. but I will show you presently how someone has paid for you. I did not ask you to pay me for coming here today, because I knew you had not the money. God does not ask you to give Him anything. Instead of that, He wants to give everything to you. Tell me, have I made you a present today?”
“Yes, Sir, you gave us all some new clothes.”
“Would my porter have let you in if you had come in your own old clothes or dirty rags?”
“No, Sir.”
“Just so the pearly gates of heaven will open to no little child, or man, or woman, who is not white and clean; without a single spot or stain of sin left on them. But did I tell you to try and patch up your own old clothes at home before you came to me?”
“No, Sir,” cried the children, “you said we were to come just as we were, and you would give us clean clothes.”
“Very true, and so God says when He invites you, you are not to wait till you are better, you are not to try and mend your ways before you come to Jesus, you are to come to Jesus just as you are, with all your sins, with all your naughty thoughts, because if you wait till you are better you will never come at all. Directly you come to Him, owning that you are full of sin—that you deserve to be lost, but that He died on the cross for you—I say that if you come to Him so, He will not send you away, but will fold His arms round you, and take you to His happy home, clothed in a beautiful garment which He will give you; all your rags will be stripped off, that is, all the bad things you have done, and all the good you tried to do, before you came to Him.
“Do not put off coming to Jesus. I heard of a little boy today, whose name is Tom, who did not believe in my invitation yesterday. He laughed, and said it was not true. Today he has been rapping at the gate, trying to get in, but it is too late. I cannot break my word, though I am very sorry for him; and many boys and girls who hear God’s message from time to time turn away and slight it. They think about other things, they do not believe it in their hearts; and these children will one day beg for mercy, they will cry out to God to hear them, but it will be TOO LATE then—the door of love and mercy will then be closed for ever, and they must turn away to everlasting misery.
“God says, in that day ‘They shall call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me.’ Once more then, before you return to your play, I will tell you that Jesus loves you, has shed His precious blood to save you: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ I do not love you as He does. This day’s pleasure will soon be passed; but Jesus gave Himself for you; He paid the debt you could not pay, and He alone can give you an entrance to that beautiful land where pleasures will never end; but you must believe that He has done it all long, long ago; you must take Him into your heart as your Saviour.”
Little children who read this story, do not you put it off till it is too late; Jesus is waiting to receive you now, and bide you come to Him. He who died for you has risen again, and sits at God’s right hand, a Prince and a Saviour, ready to pardon any who go to Him in faith. But He will not always stay there. He is coming again, to take away those who have believed in His name to be with Him forever; and to cast into outer darkness those who have despised the good news.
ML 08/24/1902