COMING TO CHRIST

The children have now been told why God wants them to come to him and be saved; They -- no, you -- have also been shown the way, how to come to Christ. The last three chapters have made it plain to you that you must (1) Repent of sin; (2) Take Jesus by faith as your Savior; (3) Surrender yourself to his service.

In thus chapter God lovingly invites you to come. The Spirit and the Bride say, Come; and let him that heareth say, Come; and let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely" Rev. 22:17). The Holy Spirit of God, and the church on earth and in heaven invite you to come to Jesus and be saved. They want you to come now, today, this very hour, and have your sins pardoned, and your heart renewed. "Behold now is the acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). "Today if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts" (Heb. 3:7-8). Jesus wants every boy and girl this very day to forsake every evil way and come to him and be saved. Why should you not love and trust such a Savior? Think what he has done for you and me! Jesus left all the glory of an eternal heaven, and the companionship of the Father and the holy angels, and came down to this world to be a child of suffering and want, to be persecuted and hated and despised, and at last to be arrested, and whipped till his back was gashed and bleeding. They pressed a crown of thorns down upon his beautiful head, and struck him and spit in his face, and mocked him, and at last led him out of the city and nailed him to a cross, and hung him up to die in awful agony. Jesus endured it all for you and me, that he might redeem us from sin and save our poor souls. After all that shall we not love him? Shall we not cease to grieve him by our wicked sins?

One night a father and his little son were being pulled out of a deep coal mine, and, when near the top, the rope began slowly to untwist, and one after another of the strands broke. The father saw that if they both staid in the bucket they would be killed, and so he quickly turned to his little son, and hurriedly said: "I am not afraid to die, for I have Jesus and he will not let me be lost. To save you I will jump out. I may not be killed; but if I am Jesus will take me to heaven; but you, I fear, would be lost, for you have not given your heart to Jesus. Jesus has given himself a ransom to save me from a more dreadful pit than this. Trust in Jesus and he will save you, too. Meet me in heaven." With these words upon his lips he sprang out of the bucket and was dashed in pieces. His boy was soon safely landed above. How do you think he felt? Could he soon forget and cease to love a father who had died for him? And if he had been ashamed of that father, and had ceased to love him and be grateful, would you not all say that he was a very wicked and mean boy? That is the way we all ought to feel if we do not love and trust and obey Jesus. A boy was listening to a minister as he told what Jesus had suffered for us that he might save us from sin and death, and he said to the minister: "O I felt I was so mean not to love Jesus." We may all say so, too, of our own selves, if we have no grateful love for the Son of God. Can you not all say from the heart:

"'Twas for me that Jesus bled
On the cruel tree;
There he bowed his thorn-crowned head:
Oh, what agony!

"'Twas my sins that nailed him there,
Mine that shed his blood,
Mine that pierced the bleeding side
Of the Son of God."

Rev. E. P. Hammond, the children's evangelist, tells of a little girl who had lived on a mountain in Switzerland, near a deep chasm, across which was a narrow bridge formed by a rock that had fallen from the high mountain above and lodged across the chasm. Her mother had often told her about the Savior who pitied us and poured out his life's blood that he might wash away the black stains of sin on our souls, and she had given her heart to Jesus. But her father was not a Christian. He never gathered his loved ones around the family altar. He was kind to provide for the good of his children in this world, hut he seemed to care nothing about their laying up "treasures in heaven," One day when about to cross over the deep ravine by means of the rock, the mother saw that it wits just ready to fall. The frost had loosened it. She told her little girl that if she ever crossed it again it would fall, and she would be dashed in pieces. The next day the father told his child that he was going over to the other side across the bridge. She said to him that it was not safe, but he only laughed at her. He said he had been across it before she was born, and that he was not afraid. When the dear child saw that he was determined to go, she asked if she could not go with him. While they were walking along together, she looked up full in her father's face, and Said: "Father, if I should die will you promise to love Jesus, and meet me in heaven?" "Pshaw!" said he, "what put such a wild thought into your head You are not going to die, I hope. You are only a wee thing, and will live many years." "Yes, but if I should die, will you promise to love Jesus just as I do, and meet me in heaven?" "But you are not going to die. Don't speak of it," he Said. "But if I should die, do promise, father, you will be a good Christian and come up and live with Jesus and me in heaven." "Yes, yes," he said at last. When they came near the crossing place she said: "Father, please stand here a minute." She knew that her father was not prepared to die. She loved him dearly, and was willing to run the risk of her dying for him. Strange as it may seem, she walked quickly over the loosened rock, and down it went with the little girl! She fell and was crushed to death in the bottom of the deep chasm. The trembling parent crept to the edge, and with eyes dim with tears, gazed wildly upon the wreck. Then he thought of all his little child had told him about how Jesus had died to save us. He thought he never loved his child so much. But he began to see that he had far more reason to love Jesus who had suffered much more to save him from the "bottomless pit." And then he thought of the promise he so carelessly made to his ter. What could he do but kneel down and cry to God for mercy on him? How precious now to the father's heart was the memory of the dear little daughter who deliberately accepted death that she might save her father's life, and save his soul forever. O, how wicked he would have been if he had not felt a tender, grateful love for such a child. But we all have a thousand times more reason to praise and adore Jesus with all the tender love of grateful and obedient hearts. And it is a thousand times more wicked not to love and trust the blessed Son of God, who left heaven and came down to die for us, that a way might be made whereby we could be saved. The way is all made. We are only asked to repent of sin and abandon it as a hateful, deadly, destructive thing, accept Jesus in faith as our Savior, and consecrate our future lives to his service. It is only three steps -- repentance, faith and consecration -- from the wickedest sinner to the loving arms of a sin-pardoning God. And this simple, easy, honorable way of salvation was made not merely for some other people, but for you, dear child, for you. as truly as if you were the only sinner in all the world. You may sing from your heart:

"Jesus from his throne on high,
Came into this world to die;
That I might from sin be free,
Bled and died upon the tree.

"I can see him even now
With his pierced thorn-crowned brow,
Agonizing on the tree;
An! what love! and all for me!

"Now I feel this heart of stone
Drawn to love God's only Son,
Lifted up on Calvary,
Suffering shame and death for me!

"Jesus! take this heart of mine,
Make it pure and wholly thine,
Thou hast bled and died for me:
I will henceforth live for thee."

I can not wait longer, Jesus calls you today. and I want you before you close this chapter to bow your head and your heart and accept Jesus. I have seen hundreds, yea thousands, of children and older people come to Christ, and you can do it as well as they could. A year ago last February I was holding a meeting in the city of Calumet, Mich. Nearly all the children and young people in Dr. Hunter's Sabbath-school gave themselves to Christ. He received ninety-three into the church. Brother Morris' church received fifty more. Moore than a year afterward Dr. Hunter told me that all but three had stood as firm is a tree in their allegiance to Christ. Least February I labored in Sparta, Wis. One hundred and fourteen joined Dr. William Crawford's church, besides many joined other churches. Dr. Crawford's entire Sabbath-school seemed to crowd into the kingdom, and when they stood up -- a hundred of them at one time to join the church -- what rejoicing there was on earth and in heaven. And just three weeks afterward little Marguerite Streeter, of most remarkable and attractive loveliness, passed away to her eternal home. A paper has been sent me containing Dr. Crawford's remarks at the funeral: "In the case of the dear child who has now been taken away, there are many consolations. She was a pretty child, as she appeared with her bright, happy face, and her soft, long ringlets -- a child to attract notice, and win affection and make friends. It was on the first Sabbath of this month that Ethel became a member of this church and testified to her faith in Christ by receiving the sacrament of baptism and the Lord's Supper. It was with gladness that she took her place among open Christians, Her decision seems to have been made February 21st, that memorable Sabbath on which Brother Hills addressed the Sunday-school, and asked the members to accept of Jesus as their Savior, amid consecrate themselves to his service. In her Bible is a blank form which sine had found somewhere with lines for her name and address; and she filled it our thus: 'Ethel Streeter, Sparta, Wis., learned to give her heart to God February 21, 1897.' She had learned many other lessons in the school, but that was the best lesson of all."

Little did I think when I stood before that large Sabbath-school and pleaded with tine children to give themselves to Jesus that that beautiful girl. ten years old, then in the fullness of health, would so soon pass over into her eternal home where "'They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun strike upon them nor any heat; for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their Shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life; and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes." Below I give you what was on the card which dear Ethel signed, along with hundreds of others. I want you to offer yourself to God in this prayer, and then sign it, too.

"Dear Jesus, I thank thee that thou dost invite me to come to thee for pardon. Help me to come now. I am a poor lost sinner, but thou hast died to save guilty children like me. My heart is wicked, but thou hast said, 'A new heart will I give thee.' O forgive me all my sins, and help me to repent of them and forsake them. Help me now to believe in Jesus, and trust him as my Savior. Help me now to give myself away to be thine forever. I give my body to thee to be kept free from evil habits; my lips to talk for thee; my hands to toil for thee; my feet to walk in paths of righteousness. I give my mind to thee to think for thee, my heart to love thee; my will to choose thee, and to obey thee, and all my time and influence and powers to be used in thy service, Accept me now, according to thy promise, for Jesus' rake. Amen."

CARD

I do dedicate my all to Jesus. Having been led by the Holy Spirit to see myself a sinner in need of a Savior, I repent of sin, accept Jesus as my Savior, and now gladly enter into his service.

As you have now given yourself to Jesus to be his forever. remember that he has promised that he will in no wise case you out (John 6:37). Now just believe that Jesus keeps his promise with you, and rejoice in him as your Savior, and that you are his redeemed and pardoned child. Let this be your glad song and prayer:

"I'LL LIVE FOR HIM."

"My life, my love, I give to thee,
Thou Lamb of God who died for me;
Oh may I ever faithful be,
My Savior and my God.

CHORUS

"I'll live for him who died for me,
How happy then my life shall be.
I'll live for him who died for me,
My Savior and my God!

2
"I now believe thou dost receive
For thou hast died that I might live.
And now henceforth I'll trust in thee
My Savior and my God.

3
Oh, thou who died on Calvary,
To save my soul and make it free,
I consecrate my life to thee,
My Saviour and my God!

Song: "I'll Live for Him," Also, "What Hast thou Done for Me?"