"Bob, give me a paper," said Bill Lawson, a big burly engineer, to the "newsboy" at a railway station.
Bob, the newsboy, had recently been converted to God, and in the joy of his first love eagerly and earnestly sought to win others to the Savior. "I'll give you a paper," was Bob's answer, "if you promise to read this tract.”
"Tract!" was the indignant and scornful reply. "I don't want any such rubbish," and Bill Lawson walked away.
Shortly afterward the engineer again made the same request, and he got the very same reply. For the third time Bill asked for a paper; and on hearing the same answer, he said to Bob, "Do you really want me to read it?”
"I do, Bill," was the earnest answer.
Taking the paper Bill said, "Then I will read it, and you can keep your paper.”
When he had leisure, Lawson took the tract out of his pocket and carefully perused it. It was a simple statement of God's amazing love in giving His only begotten Son to bleed and suffer and die in our stead. The "glad and glorious gospel" was unfolded in the life-giving words of John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16): "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
At their next meeting the newsboy asked, "Did you read the tract that I gave you?”
Throwing his arms around Bob's neck, Bill's eyes overflowed and the tears rolled down his cheeks. Brokenly he exclaimed, "I never read such a tract. I thought God was like a policeman with a club in His hand trying to arrest me. Now I see that He loves me. If He is such a loving God, I want to know and love Him. Why, Bob, He just says, 'Comer Many, like Bill Lawson, imagine that God is like a policeman, pursuing them to shut them up, in the prison of hell. What a perversion of the loving character of God! How true the divine declaration that "He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love." 1 John 4:88He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:8). Though God hates sin, He loves the sinner with a great and tender love.
Whoever you are, my lost friend, God loves you. He longs to give you a free, full, and present salvation. Hear His solemn statement: "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?" Ezek. 33:1111Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:11).
God is not willing that you should perish. He longs to bless and save you as you read these lines. He loves you with a wondrous wealth of love, and longs to save you now. Hear His voice as He pleads with you: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isa. 1:1818Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18).