A little boy was awakened to anxiety about his soul at a meeting where the story of the leper was told.
Leprosy is a dreadful disease which soon covers the whole body. When any one became leperous in Israel they were obliged to go outside the camp, and when any one came neat them to cry, “unclean! unclean!”
Leprosy is a marked emblem of sin. “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint; from the crown the head to the sole of the foot, them is no soundness in it, but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores; they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isaiah 1:5,65Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. (Isaiah 1:5‑6).
One day a poor leper came to Jesus and worshiped Him, saying,
“Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.”
And Jesus put forth His hand and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Matt. 8:2, 32And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matthew 8:2‑3).
Well, this dear little boy who was anxious said,
“I noticed that there was an ‘if’ in what the man said, but there was no ‘if’ in what Jesus said; so I went home and I took out the ‘if’, and I knelt down and I said,
‘Lord Jesus, Thou canst, Thou wilt make me clean; I. give myself to Thee.’”
My beloved children, have you thus come to Jesus? And, if not yet, will you come now? O! do come to Him. He can, He will make you clean; yes, whiter than snow. You are a sinner, and sin is a far worse disease than leprosy. Nothing can take it away but the blood of Jesus. Come to Him this very minute.
ML 10/27/1946