2. The next " Come " I will call the Gracioics " Come." It is in the 1st chapter of Isaiah, and the 18th verse: "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." Perhaps there is a boy or girl in the church this afternoon who has been naughty — who knows that he or she has done something very wrong. I don't know what it is. You know. God knows. Now God sends me to you, my dear child, this day, and the message God gives to you is this : " Come now, and let us talk about it. Come now, and let us reason about it. You have been very naughty, and you cannot be happy. Come to Me ! " God says, " Listen to Me. I am willing to forgive you. And though your sins be as red as scarlet, though they make you blush, though you know all the waters in the world cannot wash them out, I will do it. Come to Me — really come to Me. Let us reason together about it. I will pardon all. I will forgive all, and you shall have peace ! " This is God's message to the lost child. Do you think that when you come God will not receive you?
IT Once upon a time, at Athens, the Senate was sitting. At their meeting out in the open fields, as the men of Athens were all assembled together deliberating, making laws, a little bird which was just by an oak-tree came flying into the nii(idle of
ISAIAH 25
the assembly. And the poor little sparrow came and nestled itself in the breast of one of the Senators. The poor little thing was terribly frightened, and its feathers were all ruffled. As it came and nestled itself in the breast of one of the old Senators, this cruel man took the little bird out of his breast and Hung it to the ground, stamped upon it, and killed it. The other Senators said, " It is shocking ! He shall never be a Senator again." They said more. They said, "He should die for his cruelty. The man who can kill a little bird in that way is not fit to live. He shall die." And he was actually put to death for his cruelty to the little sparrow ! Do you think that those Senators could be so kind to this little sparrow, and that the great God, who loves you, will not receive you when you go to His fatherly, loving breast ?
3. Now I must give you a third " Come," and that is a Tender ''Come" It is in Matthew xi. 28: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Now I may be speaking to some boy who is very tired, tired in a great many ways. I do not suppose he is yet very tired of this life, though life is very hard work, and some little boys even have said, " I am tired of my life." It is not so with you, perhaps. But possibly you are tired of your work or your lessons ; perhaps somebody is teasing you very much ; perhaps you have some burden on your mind, something you are always thinking of, so you are always " weary and heavy laden." Now Jesus says to you, by me, this afternoon, " Come to Me, with that poor, tired, burdened feeling — come to Me, and I will give you rest." It is so tender. Have you had a tender mother ? He is more tender. " A mother may forget." He will never forget.
IT I will tell you what happened once. There was a poor woman who was very unhappy and low-spirited, and a clergyman went to see her ; and this is what the clergyman said and did. He said to the poor woman, "You are very unhappy." She said, " Yes, I am." " What is it ? " he asked. " Tell me." She answered, " Oh, my prayers are poor prayers ! I have got such a naughty heart, and I am so cold in my heart, and I do so many wrong things, and grieve God so much." The clergyman said, "Very well, now you have told me about yourself, have you nothing else to tell me?" "No, sir; nothing else," she replied, " only that I am so wicked." " Now," said the clergyman, " say what I say. Say, ' Jesus ! ' " She said, " Jesus." " Oh no ! " said the clergyman, "not so; say it feelingly." Then she said
26 THE GREAT TEXTS OF THE BIBLE
it a little better — " Jesus ! " " No, that won't do ; you must say it still better, with all your heart. You must say, * JESUS ! ' " She began to cry, and in her tears she said, " JESUS ! " And from that moment she began to be happy.
4. Now I come to my fourth " Come," and I will call it the Echoing "Come"! You will find it at the end of the 22nd chapter of Eevelation, the 20th verse — "Even so, come. Lord Jesus." That is the Echoing " Come ! " because it is the man saying it back to God. God said, " Come now !" and man says back to God, " Come, Lord Jesus !"