Part 14 (2/2)
”Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth My Word and believeth on Him that sent me, hath----”
”Does that mean, 'will have'?” asked Morton.
”No, 'hath,' is in the present tense,” said the doctor.
”'Hath everlasting life', then, means that we have it now, don't it, doctor?”
”That is what it says, sir.”
”Now look at Isaiah 53:6,” said Morton.
”All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid----”
”Not 'will lay',” said Morton. ”'Hath laid' upon Christ 'the iniquity of us all.' Does that mean you, doctor?” asked Morton.
”Can it mean me?” asked the doctor.
”If the Word is true, it means you,” said Morton.
Like a flash it dawned upon the doctor that Jesus had borne his sins in His own body on the tree. He leaped to his feet and said: ”All these years I've been a chump! I've never been satisfied with myself. Had I known this was for me I would have had it long ago.” He was very happy and went from one to the other shaking hands. When he met Jimmie, he hugged him.
”I want to go to Bucktown and tell the gang I'm saved,” he said.
After the meeting Fred Hanks, Doctor Snyder and Jimmie went from place to place in Bucktown and the doctor did all the talking.
He preached to every one he met. In f.a.gin's, he told them all how Fred and he had been saved and begged every one of them to give their hearts to G.o.d. The last place they went was to the Dolly resort. Never was there such a plea made for purity as the doctor made to that crowd of women. ”There is something better for you than this sort of life,” he said. ”G.o.d loves every one of you and wants to save you now. If you will trust Him to save you I will find you a different home than this.”
He did not look for what happened.
”If you will find me a place where I can live like other people, I'll leave here to-night,” said one. ”I don't like to live this way, but there's no one cares for me.”
About midnight the door-bell rang at the Morton home, and when Mr. Morton opened the door, the doctor, Fred and Jimmie stood there with three women from the Dolly resort.
”I was preaching to the people down in Bucktown,” said the doctor, ”and I told them I'd find them a better place to live if they would trust G.o.d. They took me at my word and I have nothing else to do but bring them here.”
Every bed was filled but they were made welcome by Mrs. Morton.
”Come right in,” she said. ”One of you can sleep with Floe and the other two can sleep in this bed downstairs. To-morrow we will get another bed and put it in Floe's big room.”
Mr. and Mrs. Morton slept on the floor that night.
When Jimmie reached the barn it was two o'clock.
”Where in the world have you been, Jimmie?” asked Dave.
Jimmie told Dave of all that had taken place and he was as much interested as was Jimmie.
”Gee, der doc is a comer sure!” said Jimmie. ”He can preach jus' as good as he can peddle pills.”
CHAPTER XV
_The Picnic_
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