The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-03-16
What If Christ Came to Our Town.

What II Cnr1st Came 70 Our TOWN. 20
Suppose, one of these. bright mornings
as you are going about your work and
preparing to 60 out for the morning er.
rands, neighbor comes to yoursdoor with
face all ahght with news and tells you33s
did you know? Have you heard that
Christ has come to our town? met Him
thing for breakfast He told me He would
come to my house to-day, and I must hurry
home to make ready. thought you would
like to know, for He may be here, too. He
is to speak over at the church tonight"
And with her wonderful news she hur.
ries onward. And you stand there startled.
Can it be true! Christ come to the earth
again? And how did your neighbor know
Him? Yet she must have, for she is one OF
His very own. NJ
And He may come here, to your own
lies the book you were reading last night!
You hastily put it out of sight and the
color rises in your cheeks. It is not book
you would like Christ to find you readmg1.
And He is to speak at the church tor
night. Yes, this is the regular church
prayer meeting night. Ahl You had fors
gotten. For it is also the night of your
euchre club, and yon were to have enter
tanned it. And now? What can you d9y
The salad is already made, the cream, and
oysters are ordered. Your guests Will thinS
it strange. But what will Christ thnkf
You could explain, of course, that you do
day evening, but this was an unusual thing
because-but you do not like to think OF
facing Christ with excuses. =
The invitations must be recalled, OF
course. You hasten to the train to stop
your husband before he goes to the city to {
his business If possible, and all the way
you say to yourself: "Christ is here; Christ
has come to our town! There is opportu-
nifty now for men to be saved! That poor
drunkard who has tried SO hard to reform
and cannot, that sorrow-stricken woman
find it in Him. That sick child who ia
doomed to a life of suffering may be
healed" I.Si
Then, as the thought grows upon You,
what it means to have Christ come to your
towns you forget your horror over your
own position and how NEATLY you,win APP
pear as His follower when He looksYupon
you as you really are, and 60 to eagerly
planning how others may be told OF the !
wonderful news. Your heart sinks at the !
thought that He has come on weekday
night, and because every one IS so gwen
over to his own plans and pleasures you
feel very certain there VIII be but poor
showing at the church tonight, not more
than the usual handful who attend the
prayer meeting where Christ, is always ex-I
pected of course in spirit. It rs q pity He
could notShave come on Sabbath and had
it announced long beforehand. You would
have then done your best to make it known
and urge such and such one to- come to {.
the meeting, and you would have prayed
for a pleasant night that large audience
might be out, and-would you? Are you.
sure? Has He not been expected at every
meeting for prayer that has. been held IN
His house all these years? Has de not
promised to meet there? Have you ever ny
so much as a word invited those people, to
come and see Him and learn what manner
of person He be? Have you ever put oH
an evening gathering to go to hear HIM
unless it was more than convenient to doS
so? Have you hid away the books yous
have been reading and resolved to read
them no more because you would beA
ashamed to have Him see you at such
books? Have you spread abroad the news
of His presence with you and of the Won
ders He has done for you, even so much as 4
the poor Samaritan woman; who testlted,
"Come, see man who tolls me all that
ever did," -.
Marcus Dods says: "The disciples were :
good men but they went into Sychar judg-
ing the Samaritans good enough ito trade
With. but never dreaming Of telling them
the Messiah was outside their town. They
must have been ashamed to find how much :
more capable an apostle the woman; was
than they. I think they would not wonder
another time that their Lord should con-
descend to talk with woman. The SIM
ple, unthinking, untroubled directness OF 9
woman will often have matter finished
while a man is meditating some ponderous
contrivance for bringing it to pass, Let us
not fall into the mistake of the disciples.
and Judge men good enough to buy and sell
with. but quite alien to the matters of the
kingdom. The woman's testimony
was enough to excite curiosity. The men,
on her word, came out to judge fol-, them I
selves. What they. saw and heard com
pleted their conviction. And they said to
the woman. Now we believe. not because
Of thy speaking, for we have heard for our :
selves, and know that this is indeed the
Saviour of the world.
1t is not fairy tale, nor parable, ror
an impossibility, this supposition OF our
topic. What if Christ should cc.ne to
our town" He may come. He does come
every day. He came to you last week IN 2
special answer to prayer and saved allowed
one from death. He came to you in the
silent watches of the night when you COM
muned with Him, and He spoke peace to
your soul You know He is the Christ:
And yet, have you told others to come and
see? And if Christ should come In real
bodily presence to-mor-sv, would you and
! be ready or be ashamed to meet HIM =,
Grace Livingston Hill, in the New YORK
Mail and Express. i