William was the only son of Dr. Nelson. He was such a loving boy, always lively and happy. Many envied him because of his happy face and beautiful golden curls. Dr. Nelson loved his lad very deeply, and bought him everything to make him contented.
But William was not as healthy as he looked. He didn’t seem to be able to play very long without getting tired, and Dr. Nelson inwardly hoped that he would grow as he got older, But soon he became very, very sick, and then everything was tried to make him well, but he only became weaker and weaker.
“Daddy,” he said, “I don’t want to die! Just think, how terrible it must be to be laid into the cold dark grave. Have you no medicine that will make me well again?”
Poor man! What answer could he give to such pitiful words? He tried to make his dear boy think of other things, for he knew nothing of the way to heaven, and he despised any mention of God or of the Lord Jesus.
No one envied poor William now. And did none of the friends of the good doctor know the Lord Jesus, and come to tell William of the Great Physician?
Yes, there was one. He was not a doctor, nor a learned man, but only a poor boy whom the doctor had picked up off the street to run his messages.
David, like William, had at one time been unhappy and full of fear at the thought of eternity, but now he knew that all his sins were washed away in the blood of Jesus Christ.
David, the message boy, had often wished to speak to William about Jesus, but he was never allowed into the sick room, for the doctor knew that David was a Christian, and he didn’t want him to speak to William about God or Jesus.
David, therefore, was very much surprised when his master came to him one day, and said, “William wishes to see you, David. Go and entertain him and try to cheer him up a bit.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“But one thing more. Not a word about religion. I do not care for that stuff, and Willie shall not be bothered with it either.”
David stood there quite shocked, After all that Jesus had done, was it possible that a clever man like Doctor Nelson should speak like that?
“That is impossible,” said brave David, “I must speak of Jesus, for He is my Saviour.”
“Listen, David. Willie has asked to see you, or I would not let you in hi, room. Now if you will do as I say, I will give you a dollar.”
One dollar! That was a lot of money for David, but he didn’t stop for one moment.
“That would be a bad promise, and I cannot do it.”
The doctor became angry and sent him away, but he had hardly gone out the door when he was called back again.
“Come back here. Go and entertain Willie, but see to it that he keeps under the covers.”
Soon David was holding Willie’s thin hand and pouring out to him the happy story of the love of Jesus. He told of how he had once feared the thought of eternity, but had trusted in Jesus as the One who died to wash away his sins, and now his heart was cleansed forever.
As these words of comfort came flowing from the lips of the little evangelist, the sick boy drank it in. That was just what he so greatly needed—rest for his troubled soul.
William did not have to be urged to come to Jesus. He was so glad that Jesus had died for him, that he just came then and there on his sick bed and found rest and forgiveness for his troubled young heart.
An hour later his father entered be roam. One took was enough to tell him that a wonderful change bad taken place in his little son. Instead of meeting a sad and troubled face as before, he now looked into a pair of eyes beaming with joy, and from two children’s voices, one strong and the other weak, the words of a beautiful hymn to the praise of the Saviour’s love and grace, sounded in his ears.
Just before William passed away, the parents and relatives surrounded the bed, weeping and moaning, but the little sufferer began to sing one of his favorite hymns with a clear, but weak voice. In the middle of the hymn his voice faded away and he slipped into a happy eternity to be with the Lord Jesus.
The father was not yet saved, but the wonderful change which had taken place in his son during the darkest days of his life, had made a lasting impression upon him.
Not long after the death of his boy, the doctor took very sick, and for some time it was thought that he would not get better. As soon as he recovered a little strength, he sent for David to come and see him. Here too, the little witness did his work faithfully. In order to make good use of his time, when he thought the sick doctor was asleep, he would repeat quietly the verses to be learned for Sunday school. But quite often the sick man was not asleep, and he listened eagerly to the Word of God. Soon faithful. David had the joy of hearing the once proud man confess with tears of joy that the Lord Jesus Christ had saved him and washed him from all his sins.
The God who loved and saved William, and David, and Dr. Nelson, loves you too, and wants you to accept His dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Saviour.
ML 09/09/1951