Perhaps you have heard of a chimney sweep, but I wonder if you have ever seen one. They are to be found all over England and their work is to clean the soot out of the many chimneys. You may imagine that they don’t look too clean after they have been at work a while, and when their day’s work is done, you can’t tell whether their skin is black or white, nor can you tell the real color of their clothes. In fact they are just black all over from chimney soot!
Now let me picture to you a strange sight. Think of a beautiful big house in the city of London, and in that house a lovely big dining room. At the head of that table sits a fine and wealthy lady, called the Countess of Belville. The table is filled with all kinds of good things to eat, and around the table are seated—you will never guess —fifty chimney sweeps! They have washed themselves so that all the soot is gone. But whatever made the Countess ask those fifty boys to her home for supper? Listen to the strange story.
Quite a few years before, this wealthy lady and her own little boy, Charles, lived happily in this same fine home. She loved the Lord Jesus, and her great desire was that her boy Charles might also grow up to be a true Christian. Every night, little Charles would kneel down and pray this prayer, “Lord, save me. Teach me to trust Thee, and to love my brethren as Jesus loved us. Amen.” Then he would quickly jump into bed and go to sleep.
One day Charles was late for his dinner. He had been playing alone in the garden all morning, and the gate was locked, so his mother began to hunt all through the house. Still no Charles! Soon all the neighbors joined in the search, and at last the police were busy looking too. Night came, and still Charles had not been found. Days passed, and still there was no news of the missing boy. About a month later, the police told her that the body of a boy had been found in the river. This river flowed right near her home, and this boy was found in a part that flowed through a village about six miles down the stream. Quickly she journeyed to the village and found that the lad’s body had been buried, as nobody knew who he was.
She was brokenhearted, and felt sure that this was the resting place of her dear Charles. She had a tombstone made, on which were these words, “Lord, save me. Teach me to trust Thee, and to love my brethren as Jesus loved us. Amen.”
About four years after this sad part of the story, the Countess came home from a visit to find a chimney sweep busy cleaning her fireplace. There was a man on the roof, and together they were getting out all the soot they could. The poor little fellow looked so sad that the kind lady tried to cheer him up.
“What is the matter, my boy?” “Nothing, madam. We have come to sweep your chimney, and my master is on the roof. He is coming down now.” “But why are you so sad?”
“Because my master will beat me.” Here the tears began to run down his cheeks, leaving little clean streaks through the soot.
“I must speak to your master myself when he comes down.”
“No, madam, no. It will only make him worse. I have no father or mother, but I tell God my troubles.”
“Who taught you to pray?”
“My mother did. I still remember the prayer she taught me long ago.”
“May I hear your prayer, my boy?”
“Lord, save me. Teach me to trust Thee, and to love my brethren as Jesus loved us. Amen.”
“Charles! Charles! I am sure you are my own dear boy Charles!” With a cry of joy she threw her arms around the boy, caring nothing about the dirt and soot. She kissed him lovingly and mingled her own tears with his.
Here the master entered the room and seemed amazed to find his sweep boy weeping in the lady’s arms. Slowly the surprising story was told. Charles had been stolen by a cruel man from his own garden that sorrowful day, some years before. Later he had been sold for a sum of money to this master sweep.
From that time, Charles was the joy of his mother’s heart. On the first of May, the day on which Charles was found, she gathered a large number of sweeps of his own age for a grand supper. She did this each year for many years, and she always told them the thrilling story of Charles. Then she told them that all boys and girls are lost and far from God, but that God has a beautiful home for them and invites them to come. She told them how glad she was to welcome and kiss her boy with all his dirty clothes and black face, and that God also waits to receive anyone who will come to Him just as he is. He, and He alone, can cleanse sinners and make them fit for heaven, by the precious blood of His dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you, dear young reader, ever been delivered from your cruel master, Satan, and welcomed into the family of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Come now, just as you are.
ML 01/22/1956