THE circus had fallen into the hands of Christian workers. It was late Saturday evening when they obtained possession, and as a service was to be held on the following Sunday, much had to be done in covering some things hardly helpful to devotion, putting up texts, and arranging seats. But many and willing hands made light work, and in a short time a perfect transformation had taken place. The ladders were just being put away, and the friends going to their homes, when the good schoolmaster hurried up with a large text.
“Too late,” said some; but he pleaded so hard that he gained his point.
“Do put it up somewhere; I have worked at it many days, praying over every letter. I am sure it will be blessed.”
Over the door was a vacant space, and there the text was placed — white letters on a red ground—
“THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON, CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN.”
The schoolmaster was satisfied, and in the darkness of the night sent up many a petition that the word of the Lord might be owned.
Sunday afternoon came, and with it the congregation at the circus. Among the visitors was a man and his wife, who stepped in to see the wonderful change in the old place. Their eyes roamed hither and thither, and their hearts, too, until at length the schoolmaster’s text was noticed.
“What’s that over there?” said the man; “it wasn’t there before.”
His wife read out the words―
“THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON, CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN.”
The singing, the sermon, the service, made little impression; but the schoolmaster’s text lodged.
“SIN,” thought the man, “I have the experience of that in my heart and life. I have defiled myself and all around me.
‘CLEANSING,’ that is what I need, to have all this filth removed, and to be made pure. Is such a thing possible?” He repeated the text, “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” Could he be included in that little word “us”?
Sickness came suddenly upon him, and he had to leave business; in so doing he found leisure to think of these things. Sin after sin came up before his mind — sins of youth; sins of middle life; sins in secret and sins against others; sins in work, in the family, in religion; but over all stretched the blessed text―
“THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON, CLEANS US FROM ALL SIN.”
Thus peace came; for blood represented punishment — and punishment cleared from guilt; so, if Christ was punished for his guilt, that punishment, or blood, cleansed all the sin that deserved punishment, and he was clear.
Two weeks after, a note was handed up, at the Sunday service in the circus, to say that that man had been buried the previous Saturday, and that his last words were―
W. I.