A LITTLE boy was dying. He had been in the habit of going to a Sunday-school where Jesus was often spoken about by his teacher, and where he was at last brought under a sense of his sinfulness, and his need of Christ. After a time he was taken ill, and for a long while lay on a bed of weariness; but the Lord made it a blessing to him, and he was enabled to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to trust Him fully. He believed with all his heart that Jesus had put away all his sins, and, instead of being afraid to die, he was quite happy to think that in a little while he should see Him that loved him, and gave Himself for him. And now I must say a word or two about the one who had been his Sunday-school teacher, and who had been used as the instrument in the Lord’s hands of bringing this little boy to Christ. The teacher, I am sorry to say, had somehow got away from the Lord, and while the little boy was laid aside he had Bane sadly astray, and had quite left off teaching in the Sunday-school. He did not know that the little boy was ill, nor that he was converted; nor did he even know that his own teaching had been used to bring the boy to Jesus.
But one day as he was going along the street a Christian friend met him, and asked him to come and see the dying child. Well, he went, and as soon as the little boy saw him, he began to talk to his teacher, and to tell him what a blessing he had been to him, and how he loved Jesus who had saved him forever. Oh, how ashamed the teacher felt when he heard the words of the dying boy, and felt how he had grieved the Lord in departing from Him, and sinning so against Him. There lay the child teaching his teacher, and as his gentle rebuke fell on his teacher’s ear, he felt as Peter felt when Jesus turned and looked upon him, “and he went out and wept bitterly.” Yes, it broke his heart to think of all his sins against his dear Lord, and before he left that house his soul was restored; and thus the little boy was used to bring back to the Good Shepherd a sheep of Christ’s flock who had gone astray, and became the happy little servant of the Lord in restoring one who once had been his teacher, and had taught him the way to Jesus. How wonderful are the ways of the Lord, and how true is that word, “Out of the mouths of babes and suckling’s Thou hast ordained praise.” See, too, what even a little boy may do when the Lord pleases to use him. If you love the Lord Jesus Christ, would you not like to be used by Him? Well, if you live to Him, think of Him, walk and talk with Him, He will use you to His own glory, as you will surely find “in that day” when you see Him face to face. What a happy day! And it is very near, too: therefore be in earnest, for the time is short, and “whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”
J. L. K.