It was at a village Sunday-school tea that I first became acquainted with the girl of whom I now write.
She was a young servant engaged at a small farmhouse. Some friends had called to give an invitation to the farmer’s children, and had asked the, mistress to allow the little maid to come with them to the tea. The result was their arrival in due time at the place of meeting.
The meal being concluded, and the children having sung some of their favote hymns, an opportunity was given me of speaking to them, and as I did so, their bright faces seemed to beam upon me as they sat facing the desk where I stood.
“The son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Fifteen words of but one syllable each but how much they contain! what a blessed message they carry! Let us think of them a little.
They tell of a Person. “The Son of man,” the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the One by whom all things were created, and who upholds all things by the word of His power. He was with the Father before the worlds were made, hut for the glory of God and for our blessing He became the Son of man.
They tell of His mission. “Is come to seek and to save.”
Leaving His glory, He visited this world, so that He might find wanderers lost from God. To do this, He must suffer for sins, and die upon Calvary. Without this none would have been saved.
They tell of our deep need. “That which was lost.’
We were afar from God, having gone our own way, and caring more for our own selfish ends than we cared for God’s glory. We were lost, and without strength to save ourselves. Thus we needed to be delivered by another, and only the Son of man could do it.
Having spoken to the children of Christ’s first coming, I went on to tell of His coming again. That the Lord Hielf, who is now sitting at the right hand Of God; is about to return for His loved ones, to call them to be forever with Himself.
1 Thessalonians 4, which makes this so clear was referred to There, in verse 16 and 17, we read that the Lord will come from heaven to take away all His own.
From this and other scriptures, I sought to show that when Christ came at first, He came for sinners, but that when He comes back again, He will come for saints—that is, for those who are His own. In the past He, appeared. for those who were dark and guilty—and all were that-so. He came for all; but in the future coming-and He may come tonight—He will only take those who are washed from ‘their sins, and made whiter’ than snow in His precious blood.
I then asked all present the plain, poind question,
“Are you ready if the Lord should come tonight?”
“If the Lord should come tonight. Ellen, how would it be with you?” I asked.
Hanging her head, and without making reply, she went on her way. But the question kept ringing in her ears, “If the Lord should come tonight, how would it be with you?”
Knowing she was not ready, she tried to dismiss the thought from her mind, but in vain.
“I’ll have a good cry,” she said to herself, for nothing gave her rest. However, the words of a hymn we had sung at the meeting came to her memory, “Weeping will not save me.”
She felt the words were true, that her tears could not blot out her sins, so she turned to her Testament, saying, “I’ll read 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).” The book, hover, opened at John 14, and her eyes fell on the words of the Lord to His own, “Let not your heart be troubled.”
“Mine is troubled sure enough,” she th thought, but still read on, Ye believe in God, believe also in Me.” Looking up, she responded, “Lord, I do believe in Thee.”
The scripture seemed to answer her, saying, “In My Father’s house are many massions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself: that where I am, there ye may be also.”
At once the thought flashed into her mind, “Why, I know what would happen if the Lord were to come tonight; I should go to be with Him.”
Thus the Spirit of God, who had first shown her her danger, led her to a scripture answering the question which caused her such sorrow.
All this happened upon a Wednesday. On the Friday evening following, when another address was given, Ellen was present again, and with thankfulness could tell of a new-found joy.
When asked how she knew that Christ came to save her, she at once replied, “O! you said on Wednesday that the Son of man came to save that which was lost, and I know I was lost, so I know He came for me.”
ML 09/13/1942