'But one Christmas Eve,' he went on, in a lower, sweeter tone, 'there
was no one to tell me the story, and I grew to forget it, and went away
to college, and learned to think that it was only a child's tale and was
not for men. Then bad days came to me and worse, and I began to lose my
grip of myself, of life, of hope, of goodness, till one black Christmas,
in the slums of a faraway city, when I had given up all, and the devil's
arms were about me, I heard the story again. And as I listened, with
a bitter ache in my heart, for I had put it all behind me, I suddenly
found myself peeking under the shepherds' arms with a child's wonder at
the Baby in the straw. Then it came over me like great waves, that His
name was Jesus, because it was He that should save men from their sins.
Save! Save! The waves kept beating upon my ears, and before I knew, I
had called out, "Oh! can He save me?" It was in a little mission meeting
on one of the side streets, and they seemed to be used to that sort of
thing there, for no one was surprised; and a young fellow leaned across
the aisle to me and said, "Why! you just bet He can!" His surprise that
I should doubt, his bright face and confident tone, gave me hope
that perhaps it might be so.
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